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A  PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 


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A    PRINCESS 
OF    ADVENTURE 

MARIE  CAROLINE,  DUCHESSE  DE  BERRY 


BY 

H.   NOEL  WILLIAMS 

AUTHOR    OF    "FIVE    FAIR   SISTERS " 


WITH    SEVENTEEN    ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1911 


TO   MY   WIFE 


PREFACE 

THE  nineteenth  century,  so  fertile  in  interesting  feminine 
personalities,  contains  no  more  romantic  figure  than 
that  of  Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry.  Few  prin- 
cesses have  experienced  such  strange  vicissitudes,  and 
few  have  faced  misfortune  and  danger  with  so  much  courage  and 
sang-froid.  "  Dans  la  tete  de  cette  heroique  princesse  il  y  a  de  qnoi 
a  fair e  vingt  rots/"  exclaimed  the  celebrated  advocate  Berryer 
during  the  insurrection  of  1832  in  la  Vendee;  and  he  was  not 
far  from  the  truth. 

Born  at  the  Palace  of  Caserta,  near  Naples,  on  November  5, 
1798,  Marie  Caroline  lived  to  within  a  few  months  of  the  fall 
of  the  Second  Empire,  dying  at  the  Chateau  of  Brunnsee,  in 
Styria,  on  April  16,  1870.  But  it  is  only  with  what  may  be 
termed  her  public  career,  which  ended  with  her  release  from  the 
citadel  of  Blaye  and  her  final  departure  from  France  in  June 
1833,  that  this  work  is  concerned.  To  have  attempted  to  deal 
with  the  whole  of  her  long  and  eventful  life  within  the  scope  of 
a  single  volume  would  have  involved  the  omission  of  much 
which  serves  to  justify  the  title  of  "  A  Princess  of  Adventure." 
Moreover,  it  is  a  task  which  has  never  yet  been  successfully 
undertaken. 

In  my  endeavour  to  give  a  full  and  impartial  account  of  the 
early  life  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  of  the  historical  events 
in  which  she  was  more  or  less  directly  concerned,  I  have  con- 
sulted practically  all  the  chief  contemporary  sources  of  informa- 
tion— some  of  which  have  only  seen  the  light  within  recent 
years — and  also  a  very  large  number  of  more  modern  works 
and  review  articles. 

Among  the  former,  may  be  mentioned  the  memoirs  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  the  Comtesse  de  Boigne,  Chateaubriand, 
Castellane,  Marmont,  and  Rochechouart  :  the  Mhnoires  his- 
toriques  de  S.A.R.  Madame,  duchesse  Berri,  depuis  sa  naissance 


viii  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

jusqu'a  ce  jour,  published  by  that  fervent  Legitimist,  Alfred 
Nettement,  in  1837,  for  which  Marie  Caroline  herself  is  believed 
to  have  furnished  much  valuable  material ;  the  Journal  militaire 
d'un  cJief  de  I 'Ouest  of  Charette  ;  the  Relation  fidele  et  detaille'e 
de  r arrestation  de  S.A.R.  Madame,  ducJiesse  de  Berry,  by  the 
advocate  Achille  Guibourg,  who  was  arrested  at  the  same  time 
as  the  princess  ;  the  Journal  de  la  Captivite  d&  la  duchesse  de 
Berry  a  Blaye,  by  Ferdinand  Petit-Pierre,  one  of  the  officers  of 
the  fortress  ;  la  Captivite"  de  la  duchesse  de  Berry  a  Blaye,  by 
Dr.  Prosper  Meniere,  who  attended  her  during  the  last  months 
of  her  imprisonment ;  and  the  files  of  the  leading  journals  of 
the  period,  such  as  the  Monitenr,  the  Journal  des  Debats,  the 
Constitutionnel,  and  the  Journal  de  Paris. 

Among  the  latter,  I  must  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to 
the  exhaustive  studies  of  different  phases  of  the  princess's  life 
by  Imbert  de  Saint- Amand  ;  to  the  scholarly  monographs  of  the 
Vicomte  de  Reiset,  M.  Thirria,  and  M.  Charles  Nauroy ;  to  the 
histories  of  Lamartine  and  Vieil-Castel  ;  to  Cretineau-Joly's 
Histoire  de  la  Vendie  militaire ;  to  M.  Henri  Bouchot's  le  Luxe 
francais :  la  Restauration ;  to  M.  Charles  Nauroy's  les  Derniers 
Bourbons,  and  les  Secrets  des  Bourbons ;  to  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset's 
les  En/ants  du  due  de  Berry ;  to  a  remarkable  article  on  the 
assassin  Louvel,  by  Barthelemy  Saint- Hilaire,  in  the  Revue  des 
Deux  Mondes,  May  1830  ;  and  to  another,  on  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry's  mysterious  journey  to  Rotterdam  in  1832,  by  the  Baron 
de  Mesnard,  in  the  Revue  Angevine,  May  1902. 


H.   NOEL  WILLIAMS 


London, 

August  IQl  I 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   I 

The  Bourbons  of  the  Two  Sicilies— Charles  VII.— Ferdinand  IV.— His  deplor- 
able education — His  singular  character — His  marriage  with  the  Arch- 
duchess Maria  Carolina,  who  acquires  complete  ascendency  over  her 
husband  and  governs  the  kingdom  in  his  name — Arrival  of  Acton  at 
Naples — His  reforms — Violent  resistance  of  the  Queen  to  the  revolutionary 
movement  both  at  home  and  abroad — Peace  of  Brescia — Matrimonial  pro- 
jects of  Maria  Carolina — Marriage  of  the  Prince-Royal  to  the  Archduchess 
Maria  Clementina— Letter  of  the  Princess-Royal  describing  her  life  at  Naples 
— Birth  of  the  Princess  Caroline,  the  future  Duchesse  de  Berry — Renewal 
of  the  war  with  France — The  Neapolitan  troops  occupy  Rome,  but  are 
soon  obliged  to  evacuate  the  city  and  retreat — Anarchy  at  Naples — Flight 
of  the  Royal  Family  to  Palermo — A  terrible  voyage — The  French  occupy 
Naples,  and  the  Parthenopean  Republic  is  proclaimed — Fall  of  the  republic 
and  restoration  of  Ferdinand,  who  wreaks  savage  vengeance  upon  the 
leading  spirits  of  the  revolutionary  movement — Luisa  di  Sanfelice — The 
Princess-Royal  endeavours  to  obtain  a  commutation  of  her  sentence,  but 
Ferdinand  is  inexorable — Illness  and  death  of  the  Princess- Royal 


CHAPTER   II 

Respect  of  the  Princess  Caroline  for  her  mother's  memory — Second  marriage  of 
her  father — Her  early  years — Ferdinand,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Queen, 
joins  the  Third  Coalition — The  French  advance  against  Naples,  and  the 
Royal  Family  is  again  compelled  to  take  refuge  at  Palermo — Second 
sojourn  of  the  Court  in  Sicily— Girlhood  of  the  Princess  Caroline — Her 
education — Maria  Carolina's  affection  for  her — Arrival  of  the  Due  d'Or- 
leans  at  Palermo — His  marriage  with  the  Princess  Amalia — Troubles  in 
Sicily — Maria  Carolina  and  Lord  William  Bentinck — Establishment  of  a 
constitution  on  the  English  model — Bentinck  insists  on  the  departure  of 
the  Queen  from  Sicily,  and  she  is  compelled  to  retire  to  Austria — Maria 
Carolina  and  the  Empress  Marie  Louise  at  the  Castle  of  Hetzendorf — 
Death  of  the  Queen — Grief  of  the  Princess  Caroline— Her  resentment 
against  Bentinck,  whom  she  regards  as  her  grandmother's  "  murderer  " — 
Second  restoration  of  Ferdinand         ........        14 

b  ix 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 


CHAPTER   III 

PAGE 

Portrait  of  the  Princess  Caroline  at  the  age  of  seventeen — Her  affection  for 
Sicily — Arrival  of  the  Comte  de  Blacas  at  Naples  to  propose  a  marriage 
between  her  and  the  Due  de  Berry — Political  considerations  which  induce 
Louis  XVIII.  to  seek  this  alliance — The  proposition  favourably  received  by 
Ferdinand  and  the  Prince-Royal,  who,  however,  leave  the  princess  free  to 
decide  for  herself — Blacas  comes  to  Palermo — The  princess  gives  her  con- 
sent— Portrait  of  her  by  Blacas — Letters  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Due  de 
Berry  to  the  princess,  and  of  the  princess  to  the  Due  de  Berry — The  prin- 
cess returns  to  Naples — The  marriage-contract — The  marriage  by  procura- 
tion— Letters  of  the  princess  and  the  Due  de  Berry — Illness  of  the  princess 
— She  sails  for  Marseilles 23 


CHAPTER   IV 

Arrival  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Marseilles — She  is  subjected  to  ten  days' 
quarantine  in  the  lazaretto — Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  her  dame  d'atours, 
joins  her  there — -She  is  visited  by  her  French  Household,  with  whom  she 
converses  through  a  grating — Letters  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Due  de 
Berry  to  the  princess — Her  diversions  in  the  lazaretto — She  makes  her 
official  entry  into  Marseilles — Ceremony  of  her  delivery  to  the  representa- 
tive of  Louis  XVIII. — Her  reception  at  Marseilles — Her  visit  to  Toulon — 
Correspondence  between  her  and  the  Due  de  Berry — She  leaves  Marseilles 
on  her  journey  to  Fontainebleau — The  Fete-Dieu  at  Aix — Her  reception  at 
Lyons — Her  arrival  at  Nemours — Increasing  ardour  of  the  Due  de  Berry's 
letters — Meeting  between  the  princess  and  the  Royal  Family  at  the  Croix 
de  Saint-Herem  in  the  Forest  of  Fontainebleau — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  at 
Fontainebleau 36 


CHAPTER   V 

Departure  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  the  Royal  Family  from  Fontainebleau 
— Entry  of  the  princess  into  Paris — A  magnificent  reception — Enthusiasm 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Faubourg  Saint- Antoine — Arrival  at  the  Tuileries — 
The  marriage  ceremony  at  Notre-Dame — The  Royal  Family  dines  au  grand 
convert  at  the  Tuileries — The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  depart  for  the 
Elysee-Bourbon — A  singular  ceremony 53 


CHAPTER   VI 

The  Due  de  Berry — His  boyhood — A  pretty  story — He  emigrates  with  his 
family  in  1789 — The  School  of  Artillery  at  Turin — The  duke  joins  the 
Army  of  Conde — A  manage  manque — The  duke  takes  up  his  residence  in 
London — His  appearance  and  character — An  incorrigible  gallant — Amy 
Brown — Parentage  of  Amy  Brown — Her  four  elder  children :  John  and 
Robert  Freeman,  Emma  Georgiana  Marshall,  and  George  Brown — 
Baptismal  certificates  of  her  two  daughters  by  the  Due  de  Berry,  Charlotte 


CONTENTS  xi 


and  Louise  Brown — Mystery  of  the  paternity  of  the  elder  children — Asser- 
tion of  the  Prince  de  Lucinge,  husband  of  Charlotte  Brown,  that  all  the 
children  of  Amy  Brown  were  the  issue  of  a  lawful  marriage  between  her 
and  the  Due  de  Berry  which  Louis  XVIII.  had  refused  to  recognise — The 
legend  of  George  Brown,  the  "  child  of  mystery  " — Article  in  the  Teligraphe 
of  April  14,  1877 — Appearance  of  M.  Charles  Nauroy's  work,  les  Secrets 
des  Bourbons — The  brochure  of  M.  Grave — Improbability  of  the  supposed 
marriage  having  taken  place  at  the  time  alleged  by  M.  Nauroy  shown  by 
the  narrative  of  Madame  de  Gontaut  and  the  letters  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to 
the  Comte  de  Clermont- Lodeve — The  tradition  of  the  marriage  very  firmly 
established,  notwithstanding  that  the  balance  of  authoritative  contemporary 
opinion  is  against  it 61 


CHAPTER   VII 

Evidence  upon  which  the  partisans  of  the  marriage  rely  to  establish  their  claim 
— The  death-certificate  of  Amy  Brown — The  letters  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to 
the  Comte  de  Clermont-Lodeve — Inability  of  M.  Nauroy  and  his  supporters 
to  produce  any  documentary  evidence  of  the  smallest  value — Two  wills  of 
the  Due  de  Berry,  executed  in  1810  and  1817,  held  by  the  Vicomte  de 
Reiset  to  be  an  unanswerable  proof  that  the  prince  had  never  contracted  a 
marriage  with  Amy  Brown — His  conclusions  considered — Return  of  the 
Due  de  Berry  to  France  at  the  Restoration — Amy  Brown  and  his  little 
daughter  follow  him  to  Paris — Episode  at  the  Opera — The  Due  de  Berry 
visits  Amy  incognito — The  danseuse  Virginie  Oreille  becomes  the  mistress 
of  the  prince — "  The  Amours  of  Paul  and  Virginie  " — The  violent  language 
of  the  Due  de  Berry  towards  the  officers  under  his  command  contributes  to 
alienate  the  Army  from  the  Bourbons — The  Due  de  Berry  and  Virginie 
during  the  Hundred  Days — Conduct  of  the  prince  after  the  Second 
Restoration       ............       81 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  the  Elysee- Bourbon — History  of  the  palace — 
The  duchess's  apartments — A  happy  marriage — Simple  habits  of  the  young 
couple — Anecdotes  of  the  ticket-collector  of  the  Champs-Elysees  and  of  the 
young  man  with  the  umbrella — Their  love  of  the  arts — Their  musical  tastes — 
Household  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — The  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  dame 
(Thonneur — The  Comtesse  de  la  Ferronays,  dame  d'atours — Madame  de 
Gontaut — Mesdames  de  Lauriston,  de  Hautefort,  de  Bouille,  and  de 
Gourgues — Monseigneur  de  Bombelles,  first  almoner — The  Due  de  Levis, 
first  equerry — The  Comte  de  Mesnard,  chevalier  (Thonneur — The  Elysee  and 
the  Tuileries— Attachment  of  Louis  XVIII.  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — 
Affectionate  relations  between  the  young  princess  and  Madame,  the  Due 
d'Angouleme,  and  Monsieur — Visit  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the  old 
Prince  de  Conde  at  Chantilly — The  Elysee  and  the  Palais-Royal — Louis 
XVIII. 's  distrust  of  the  Due  d'Orleans — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  endeavours 
to  persuade  the  King  to  confer  the  title  of  "  Royal  Highness"  upon  Louis- 
Philippe,  but  without  success 96 


xii  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 


CHAPTER   IX 


PAGE 


Dissensions  in  the  Royal  Family  owing  to  the  opposition  between  the  liberal 
ideas  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  reactionary  views  of  his  brother  and  the 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme — Indignation  of  the  Comte  d'Artois  and  Madame  at 
the  royal  decree  dissolving  the  "  Chambre  introuvable  " — The  action  of  the 
Due  de  Berry  in  canvassing  openly  for  votes  against  the  Government 
leads  to  a  violent  scene  at  the  Tuileries — Prudent  conduct  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  who  holds  studiously  aloof  from  politics  and  makes  no  distinction 
between  the  members  of  the  rival  parties — Growing  popularity  of  the 
young  princess  with  the  Parisians — Infidelity  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  who 
resumes  his  pre-nuptial  relations  with  Virginie  Oreille — Indignation  of  the 
King  on  learning  of  his  nephew's  presence  at  a  ball  given  by  the  danseuse — 
Liaison  between  the  Due  de  Berry  and  Mile.  Sophie  de  la  Roche — Other 
amours  of  the  prince — Jealousy  of  the  duchess — Her  conversation  with  the 
Neapolitan  Ambassador,  the  Prince  Castelcicala — The  Duchesse  de  Berry 
gives  birth  to  a  daughter,  who,  however,  dies  on  the  following  day — 
Humiliation  inflicted  by  Louis  XVIII.  on  the  Due  d'Orleans  at  the  signing 
of  the  acte  de  naissance — Affair  of  the  layette  :  rupture  between  the  Due  de 
Berry  and  the  Comte  de  la  Ferronays — Premature  birth  of  a  son,  who  only 
survives  two  hours — Disappointment  of  the  Due  de  Berry — Enviable 
position  of  the  duchess — Life  at  the  Elysee — Birth  of  Mademoiselle — The 
etiquette  of  the  royal  nursery — Portrait  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  by 
Hesse        . 114 


CHAPTER  X 

Brilliant  winter  season  of  1819-20 — Balls  at  the  Elysee — The  Duchesse  de 
Berry  accompanies  her  husband's  shooting-parties — Threatening  political 
situation — Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Comte  Decazes — Violent  hostility  of  the 
"Ultras"  to  the  King's  favourite — Election  of  the  Abbe  Gregoire  for 
Grenoble — Proposed  alteration  of  the  electoral  system — Decazes  becomes 
Prime  Minister — Happy  influence  of  married  life  upon  the  character  of  the 
Due  de  Berry — His  charity  and  kindness  of  heart — Anecdote  of  the  boy  with 
the  basket — Anecdote  of  the  charcoal-burner — Threatening  anonymous 
letters  received  by  the  Due  de  Berry — Gloomy  presentiments  of  the  prince — 
Ball  at  the  Comte  de  Greffulhe's — A  disturbing  letter — Regret  of  the  Due 
de  Berry  for  his  loss  of  temper  at  a  shooting-party  :  his  atonement — The 
duchess  again  pregnant — Visit  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the 
Opera  on  the  evening  of  Shrove-Sunday,  February  13,  1820       .        .         .     129 


CHAPTER  XI 

Louvel — His  early  life — His  violent  animosity  against  the  Bourbons,  whom 
he  resolves  to  "  exterminate  " — He  determines  to  commence  operations 
with  the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  but  his  courage  repeatedly  fails 
him — His  conduct  on  the  night  of  February  13,  1820 — The  Due  and 
Duchesse  de  Berry  at  the  Opera — The  princess,  having  met  with  a  slight 


CONTENTS  xiii 


PAGE 


accident,  decides  to  return  to  the  Elysee  before  the  end  of  the  perform- 
ance— The  duke  conducts  his  wife  to  her  carriage,  and  is  stabbed  by  Louvel 
as  he  turns  to  re-enter  the  Opera-house — Pursuit  and  capture  of  the 
assassin — The  wounded  prince  is  carried  into  the  salon  behind  his  box — 
Courage  and  presence  of  mind  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — An  extraordinary 
scene— The  Due  de  Berry  and  the  Bishop  of  Amyclee — Arrival  of 
Monsieur  and  the  Due  and  Duchesse  d'Angouleme — A  futile  operation — 
Administration  of  the  last  Sacraments — Madame  de  Gontaut  brings 
Mademoiselle  to  the  Opera-house — The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  at  her  husband's 
request,  sends  for  the  duke's  daughters  by  Amy  Brown — Arrival  of  Louis 
XVIII. — "Sire,  grace,  gr dee  pour  la  vie  de  Fhom-me!  " — The  last  moments 
— Death  of  the  Due  de  Berry 140 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  body  of  the  Due  de  Berry  transported  to  the  Louvre — Consternation  in 
Paris — Decazes  tenders  his  resignation  to  the  King,  who  refuses  to  accept 
it — An  unfortunate  incident — Meeting  of  the  Chambers — Clausel  de 
Coussergues  demands  the  impeachment  of  Decazes,  "as  an  accomplice  of 
the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry " — Furious  outcry  against  the 
Minister — The  resistance  of  Louis  XVIII.  eventually  overcome  by  the 
representation  of  Monsieur  and  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme — Fall  of  Decazes 
— Grief  of  the  King — Lying-in-state  of  the  Due  de  Berry — His  obsequies 
at  Saint-Denis — Monuments  erected  to  his  memory    .         .         .         .         .160 

CHAPTER   XIII 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  installed  at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan  at  the  Tuileries — A 
cruel  contrast — First  appearance  of  the  princess  in  public  since  the  death  of 
her  husband — Jacobin  attempts  against  her  and  her  unborn  child — Courage 
of  the  princess — Singular  dream — Her  conviction  that  she  is  destined  to  bear 
a  prince — Violent  agitation  against  the  Government — Riots  in  Paris — Trial 
of  Louvel — His  behaviour  while  in  prison — His  remarkable  speech  before 
the  Chamber  of  Peers — He  is  sentenced  to  death — His  last  hours — His 
execution — Formidable  conspiracy  against  the  reigning  dynasty  discovered 
— The  hopes  of  the  Royalists  are  centred  in  the  child  which  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  is  to  bear — Verses  of  Victor  Hugo — Arrival  of  a  deputation  from 
the  market-women  of  Bordeaux  to  present  a  cradle  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry — A  present  from  Pau — The  name  of  Henri  chosen  for  the  hoped- 
for  prince — A  rumour  is  circulated  by  the  enemies  of  the  Monarchy  that 
the  princess  is  not  pregnant,  and  that  there  is  to  be  a  supposititious  child — 
Precautions  adopted  by  Louis  XVIII.  to  refute  this  calumy         .        .         .     167 

CHAPTER   XIV 

Birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux — Singular  circumstances  attending  this  event — 
Madame  de  Gontaut's  narrative — Remarkable  courage  and  sang-froid  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry — Arrival  of  the  King — The  Jurancon  wine  and  the  clove 
of  garlic — "  That  is  for  you,  and  this  is  for  me  !  " — Indescribable  enthusiasm 


xiv  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

PAGE 

of  the  Parisians— The  Due  de  Bordeaux  and  the  soldiers— Speech  of 
Louis  XVIII.  to  the  crowd  at  the  Tuileries— The  public  admitted  to  see 
the  little  prince— Rejoicings  in  Paris— The  "  child  of  miracle  "  and  the 
"child  of  Europe" — Hysterical  jubilation  of  the  Royalist  journals- 
Adulation  of  the  poets        J8o 


CHAPTER   XV 

Appearance  of  a  libel,  under  the  name  of  the  Due  d'Orleans,  declaring  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux  to  be  a  supposititious  child— The  Due  d'Orleans  hastens  to 
disavow  any  connection  with  this  publication— New  popularity  of  the 
Monarchy— The  Chateau  of  Chambord  purchased  by  public  subscription 
and  presented  to  the  little  prince,  in  the  name  of  the  nation — The  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  notwithstanding  the  birth  of  her  son,  continues  to  feel  very  keenly 
the  loss  of  her  husband — Baptism  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux — An  alarming 
incident— The  baptismal  fetes— Pilgrimage  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to 
Notre-Dame  de  Liesse 189 


CHAPTER   XVI 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  resumes  the  habits  of  the  early  days  of  her  married  life 
— Kindness  and  generosity  of  the  princess — Method  which  she  adopts  to 
extend  her  patronage  as  widely  as  possible  among  ,the  tradespeople  of  the 
capital — Her  visit  to  Mont-Dore — She  begins  to  entertain  again  at  the 
Pavilion  de  Marsan — The  Bourbons  triumphant  in  Naples  and  Spain,  as 
well  as  in  France — Situation  at  the  Tuileries — Louis  XVIII.  and  his 
favourites — Madame  du  Cayla — Her  history — Sosthene  de  la  Rochefou- 
cauld urges  her  "  to  essay  the  role  of  Esther  to  the  Ahasuerus  of  Louis 
XVIII." — Her  first  interview  with  the  King — Infatuation  of  Louis  XVIII. 
for  her — He  presents  her  with  the  Pavilion  of  Saint-Ouen — Influence 
which  she  exercises  over  the  King — Her  relations  with  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry — Visit  of  the  duchess  to  Dieppe — Her  reception — Her  first  "dip  " — 
Illness  of  Louis  XVIII. — Heroic  fortitude  of  the  King  who,  despite  his 
sufferings,  continues  to  discharge  his  official  duties — Madame  du  Cayla 
persuades  him  to  send  for  his  confessor — Administration  of  the  Sacraments 
—Death  of  Louis  XVIII 199 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  new  King  and  the  Royal  Family  at  Saint-Cloud — Lying-in-state  of  Louis 
XVIII. — The  procession  to  Saint-Denis — The  funeral  ceremony — Character 
of  Charles  X. — The  new  reign  opens  under  the  happiest  auspices — Entry  of 
the  King  into  Paris — Review  in  the  Champ  de  Mars — A  colonel  of  four 
years  of  age — Opening  of  the  Chambers  :  incident  of  the  King's  hat — 
Death  of  Ferdinand  I.  of  the  Two  Sicilies — Charles  X.  decides  to  be 
crowned  at  Rheims — Arrival  of  the  King  at  Rheims — The  Duchesse  de 
Berry  and  Jeanne  d'Arc — The  Sacre — The  return  to  Paris  .         .         .         .215 


CONTENTS  xv 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


PAGE 


The  Duchesse  de  Berry  assumes  the  title  of  Madame — The  period  between  the 
coronation  of  Charles  X.  and  the  fall  of  the  Monarchy  that  of  her  greatest 
social  triumphs — The  Chateau  of  Rosny — Her  life  there — Her  kindness  to 
the  poor  of  the  neighbourhood — The  heart  of  the  Due  de  Berry  deposited 
in  the  chapel  of  the  hospital  which  she  erects  at  Rosny — Madame  at  Dieppe 
— The  royal  yacht,  le  Triton — An  intrepid  sailor — Benevolence  of  Aladame 
— Visit  of  Mademoiselle  to  Dieppe — A  gallant  mayor — Picnic  in  the  valley 
of  Arques — The  Due  de  Bordeaux  and  Mademoiselle — Anecdotes  of  their 
early  years — Admirable  educational  system  of  Madame  de  Gontaut — 
Anxiety  of  the  gouvemante  to  protect  her  charges  from  flatterers — An 
invaluable  object-lesson — The  Due  de  Bordeaux  leaves  Madame  de  Gon- 
taut's  care  for  that  of  the  Due  de  Riviere,  who  has  been  appointed  his 
gouvernair — The  nomination  of  the  duke  and  that  of  Mgr.  Thalin,  Bishop 
of  Strasbourg,  to  the  post  of  preceptor,  severely  criticised  by  the  Opposi- 
tion journals — Death  of  the  Due  de  Riviere,  who  is  succeeded  by  the  Baron 
de  Damas 225 

CHAPTER  XIX 

Tour  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  in  the  West  of  France — Visit  to  Chambord — 
Frenzied  enthusiasm  of  the  Vendeens  at  Saint-Florent — Sainte-Anne 
d'Auray — Madame  in  the  Bocage — Reception  at  Bordeaux — Her  stay  in 
the  Pyrenees — Her  campaign  of  1S32  the  natural  consequence  of  the  im- 
pressions concerning  the  loyalty  of  Western  France  which  she  had  con- 
ceived during  this  tour — Decline  of  the  popularity  of  Charles  X. — The 
review  of  April  29,  1827 — "  A  bas  les  jesuitesses ! '" — Disbanding  of  the 
National  Guard— Fall  of  the  Villele  Government — The  Martignac  Ministry 
— Incurable  illusions  of  the  King  as  to  the  true  sentiments  of  the  nation      .     237 

CHAPTER  XX 

The  Carnival  of  1S29— The  Mary  Stuart  ball — Calumny  concerning  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  and  her  first  equerry,  the  Comte  de  Mesnard — Last  visit 
of  Madame  to  Dieppe — Madame  and  the  Orleans  family — Project  of 
marriage  between  the  Due  de  Chartres  and  Mademoiselle — Journey  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the  South  of  France  to  meet  the  King  and  Queen  of 
the  Two  Sicilies — Critical  condition  of  affairs — The  Martignac  Ministry  is 
dismissed,  and  succeeded  by  one  of  avowed  reactionaries  under  the  leader- 
ship of  the  Prince  Jules  de  Polignac — Widespread  indignation  and  alarm — 
The  "Address  of  the  221  " — The  King  prorogues,  and  then  dissolves  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies — Visit  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies  to 
Paris — The  ball  at  the  Palais-Royal  ........     244 

CHAPTER   XXI 

The  elections  of  1830  disastrous  for  the  Polignac  Ministry — Charles  X.,  en- 
couraged by  the  taking  of  Algiers,  resolves  on  a  coup  d1£lat — The  Ordi- 
nances of  July  25,  1830 — Conversation  between  the  King  and  Madame  de 


xvi  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

PAGE 

Gontaut  on  the  morning  on  which  the  Ordinances  are  published  in  the 
Moniteur — Reception  of  the  Ordinances  in  Paris — Fatal  optimism  of  the 
Government — The  Revolution  begins  on  the  morning  of  July  27,  1830 — 
Unpreparedness  of  the  Government — Formidable  outbreak  on  the  morning 
of  the  28th — Mistaken  tactics  of  Marmont,  who  commands  the  troops — 
Desperate  fighting  in  the  streets — Alarm  of  the  Court  at  Saint-Cloud — 
Anguish  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  entreats  Charles  X.  to  allow  her  to 
go  with  her  son  to  Paris — Childish  obstinacy  of  the  King,  who  refuses  to 
promise  the  withdrawal  of  the  Ordinances — The  evening  of  July  28  at 
Saint-Cloud — Renewal  of  the  fighting  on  the  29th  :  the  Tuileries  stormed 
by  the  insurgents — "  Ah,  mon  Dieu  !  I  see  the  tricolour  !  " — The  King 
still  unable  to  realise  the  situation — The  evening  of  July  29  at  Saint-Cloud 
— The  royal  children  and  the  wounded  soldiers — Charles  X.  appoints  Morte- 
mart  President  of  the  Council,  and  sends  him  to  Paris  with  the  revocation 
of  the  Ordinances — But  his  belated  concessions  are  received  with  derision — 
Arrival  of  the  Due  d'Orleans  in  the  capital 255 


CHAPTER  XXII 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  her  children,  begs  the  Dauphin 
to  persuade  Charles  X.  to  leave  Saint-Cloud — Departure  of  the  Court  at 
daybreak  on  July  31— Arrival  at  the  Grand-Trianon— Astonishment  of  the 
King  at  the  costume  assumed  by  Madame — The  Court  continues  its  retreat 
to  Rambouillet — A  frugal  supper — The  Dauphine  joins  her  relatives — 
Charles  X.  and  the  Due  d'Orleans — Abdication  of  the  King  in  favour  of 
the  Due  de  Bordeaux — Efforts  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  induce  Charles 
X.  to  allow  her  to  go  to  Paris — "  Vive  Henri  V.  !" — Duplicity  of  the  Due 
d'Orleans — A  game  of  bluff— Charles  X.  decides  to  leave  France — Depar- 
ture of  the  Royal  Family  from  Rambouillet — Arrival  at  the  Chateau  of 
Maintenon — The  King  takes  leave  of  the  troops — The  journey  to  the 
coast — Madame  urges  the  King  not  to  abandon  the  struggle — The  Royal 
Family  at  Valognes — Farewell  to  the  Gardes  du  corps — Arrival  at  Cher- 
bourg—The Royal  Family  sail  for  England 268 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Arrival  of  the  exiled  family  at  Cowes — Lulworth  Castle,  in  Dorsetshire,  is 
placed  at  their  disposal — Refusal  of  the  British  Government  to  treat  them 
otherwise  than  as  private  persons  of  distinction — Ungenerous  attitude  of  the 
Press — Sympathy  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington — Kindness  shown  by  the 
Marquis  of  Anglesey  and  his  daughters  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — The 
Royal  Family  at  Lulworth  Castle — Tour  made  by  Madame  through  the  West 
and  Midlands — Charles  X.,  persecuted  by  his  old  creditors,  obtains  per- 
mission to  remove  to  Holyrood — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  in  London — She 
rejoins  her  relatives  in  Scotland — Death  of  her  father,  Francis  I.  of  the  Two 
Sicilies — Determination  of  Madame  to  endeavour  to  recover  the  Crown 
for  her  son,  and  to  play  an  active  part  in  the  projected  expedition  herself — 


CONTENTS  xvii 


Extraordinary  influence  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novels  upon  her  imagination 
— Futile  efforts  of  Charles  X.  to  persuade  her  to  renounce  her  bellicose 
projects — The  title  of  Regent  of  France  conferred  upon  her — Madame  at 
Bath— She  receives  enthusiastic  promises  of  support  from  all  parts  of  France 
— She  sails  for  Rotterdam  en  route  for  Italy 285 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  her  companions  arrive  at  Sestri — The  French 
Ambassador  insists  on  their  expulsion  from  the  Sardinian  States — Madame 
establishes  herself  at  Massa,  where  she  is  treated  en  souveraine — Her  letter 
to  her  friend  the  Comtesse  de  Meffray — She  visits  Florence,  but  her 
expulsion  from  Tuscany  is  immediately  demanded,  and  she  removes  to 
Lucca — She  sets  out  for  Naples,  on  a  visit  to  her  half-brother,  Ferdinand  II., 
King  of  the  Two  Sicilies — Her  stay  in  Rome — The  Count  Ettore  Lucchesi- 
Palli — His  friendship  with  Madame— Arrival  of  the  princess  at  Naples — 
A  sad  contrast — Second  visit  of  Madame  to  Rome — Her  court  at  Massa 
— Illusions  of  the  princess  and  her  partisans  in  regard  to  the  situation  of 
affairs  in  France — Attitude  of  Madame  on  the  question  of  foreign  inter- 
vention on  behalf  of  her  son — Her  adherents  in  France  urge  her  to  action — 
She  sends  orders  to  the  Legitimist  leaders  to  prepare  to  rise  in  arms — 
And  departs  secretly  for  Marseilles,  on  board  a  Sardinian  steamer,  the 
Carlo  Alberto 295 


CHAPTER   XXV 

Arrival  of  the  Carlo  Alberto  off  Marseilles — A  perilous  landing — The  Duchesse 
de  Berry  and  her  companions  take  refuge  in  a  gamekeeper's  hut  amidst  the 
woods,  to  await  the  promised  rising  at  Marseilles — A  sleepless  night — A 
comic-opera  insurrection — "All  has  failed;  you  must  leave  France!" — 
Madame  refuses  to  accept  defeat,  and  insists  on  setting  out  for  la  Vendee — 
A  night's  journey  on  foot — A  chivalrous  Republican — Madame  and  her 
companions  reach  the  Chateau  of  Bonrecueil — The  Government,  under  the 
delusion  that  the  princess  is  still  on  board  the  Carlo  Alberto,  despatches  a 
cruiser  in  pursuit  of  that  vessel — Capture  of  the  Carlo  Alberto — Mile. 
Lebeschu,y£#zwe  cfatours  to  Madame,  is  mistaken  for  her  mistress — Arrival 
of  the  Carlo  Alberto  at  Toulon  :  absurd  situation — The  authorities  order  the 
supposed  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  be  conducted  to  Ajaccio,  where  the  mistake 
is  discovered — Total  ignorance  of  the  Government  as  to  the  whereabouts  of 
the  princess  :  letter  of  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  to  the  Minister  of  the 
Marine 3°4 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

Journey  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  la  Vendee — A  titled  coachman — The 
princess  arrives  at  the  Chateau  of  Plaissac,  near  Saintes — Incidents  of  the 
journey — Review  of  the  situation  in  la  Vendee  since  the  July  Revolution — 
Decision  of  the  la  Fetelliere  conference   of  September    1831 — Afadame's 


xviii  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 


proclamation — She  issues  orders  to  her  adherents  to  take  up  arms  on 
May  24 — She  leaves  Plaissac  for  the  Chateau  of  Preuille,  near  Montaigu, 
where  she  assumes  masculine  attire — Narrow  escape  of  the  princess  from 
drowning  in  crossing  the  Moine — Arrival  at  Bellecour  with  Charette  and 
Mesnard — Letter  addressed  to  her  by  certain  Vendeen  chiefs  entreating  her 
to  countermand  her  orders  for  May  24 — Refusal  of  the  princess — She  is 
compelled  to  fly  from  Bellecour — A  night  in  a  stable — The  Chateau  of 
Louvardiere — Le  Magasin — Madame  receives  further  protests  against  the 
rising  from  the  Vendeen  leaders,  but  they  fail  to  shake  her  resolution — 
Arrival  of  the  advocate  Berryer,  who  has  induced  the  Marechal  de 
Bourmont  to  issue  a  counter-order — And  endeavours  to  persuade  the 
princess  to  abandon  the  enterprise  and  leave  France— Madame  consents, 
but  soon  recalls  her  decision — Council  of  war  at  le  Meslier — Issue  of  a  new 
order  fixing  the  rising  for  the  night  of  June  3-4 3X3 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

Disastrous  effects  of  the  counter-order  issued  by  Bourmont — Seizure  of  the  con- 
spirators' plan  of  campaign  and  other  important  papers  at  the  Chateau 
of  la  Chasliere — Madame  leaves  le  Meslier,  and  makes  her  way  to  la 
Mouchetiere — The  news  that  gendarmes  are  approaching  obliges  her  to 
escape,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  across  the  fields  to  Moulin-Etienne — 
Anguish  of  Madame  on  learning  of  the  disasters  that  have  befallen  her 
cause — She  is  escorted  by  a  party  of  Vendeen  gentlemen  to  la  Brosse,  near 
Montbert — Berryer  writes  to  the  princess  imploring  her  to  allow  him  to 
conduct  her  to  Savoy  ;  but  she  repulses  with  indignation  all  idea  of  flight — 
The  Vendeens  rise  in  arms  in  the  night  of  June  3-4,  but  the  insurrection  is 
easily  suppressed — Bravery  of  Charette's  corps — Barbarities  committed  by 
Louis-Philippe's  troops  on  the  non-combatants — Butchery  at  la  Mouchetiere 
— The  combat  of  le  Chene — Heroic  defence  of  the  Chateau  of  la  Penissiere 
— Visit  of  a  party  of  soldiers  to  la  Brosse — Madame  is  compelled  to  hide  for 
six  hours  in  a  ditch — She  proceeds  to  Pont  Saint-Martin,  and  decides  to 
take  refuge  at  Nantes — The  princess  and  Mile.  Eulalie  de  Kersabiec  set  out 
for  Nantes,  disguised  as  peasant-women — An  ad  venturous  journey — Madame 
reads  a  proclamation  offering  a  large  reward  for  information  which  may  lead 
to  her  arrest — She  arrives  safely  at  the  Kersabiecs'  house  at  Nantes    .         .     324 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  leaves  the  Kersabiecs',  and  takes  refuge  at  the  house  of 
the  Miles,  du  Guigny,  in  the  Rue  Haute-du-Chateau — Her  apartments  are 
two  attics,  one  of  which  contains  a  mysterious  hiding-place  constructed 
during  the  Terror — Precautions  adopted  to  guard  against  surprise — Charette 
urges  the  princess  to  allow  him  to  conduct  her  from  France,  but  she  refuses 
— Explanation  of  her  resolve  to  remain  in  France — Her  ceaseless  corre- 
spondence with  the  Legitimist  leaders  in  France  and  her  agents  at  foreign 
Courts — Futile  efforts  of  the  Government  to  ascertain  her  whereabouts — 
Thiers  becomes  Minister  of  the  Interior,  and  determines  to  make  the  capture 


CONTENTS  xix 

PAGE 

of  Madame  his  personal  affair — He  receives  an  unsigned  letter  offering  to 
impart  to  him  important  information  in  regard  to  an  affair  of  State  —Meeting 
between  the  Minister  and  the  writer  in  the  Champs-Elysees — Hyacinthe 
Simon  Deutz — His  strange  career — He  is  recommended  to  Madame  by 
Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  and  is  sent  by  her  on  a  mission  to  Portugal — His 
determination  to  betray  his  employer — A  shameful  compact — Deutz  at 
Nantes — His  first  interview  with  Madame  leads  to  no  result — He  solicits  a 
second  audience,  which,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  her  friends,  the  princess 
accords — Soldiers  are  perceived  approaching  the  house,  and  Madame, 
Mesnard,  Guibourg,  and  Stylitede  Kersabiec  take  refuge  in  the  hiding-place 
— A  terrible  night — The  princess  and  her  friends  are  obliged  to  surrender 
to  avoid  being  burned  alive — They  are  conducted  to  the  Chateau  of 
Nantes 333 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  Mesnard,  and  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  are  removed  from 
Nantes  and  conveyed  to  the  citadel  of  Blaye,  on  the  Gironde,  on  board  the 
corvette  Capricieuse — A  stormy  voyage — Arrival  at  Blaye,  where  Madame 
is  installed  in  a  house  which  had  formerly  served  as  the  governor's  residence 
— Consideration  shown  by  the  authorities  for  her  material  comfort — 
Extraordinary  precautions  taken  to  guard  against  any  possibility  of  escape 
— Her  daily  life — She  appears  resigned  to  her  fate,  but  has  occasional 
violent  outbursts  of  temper — Decision  of  the  Government  not  to  bring  her  to 
trial — Reason  for  this — Her  continued  detention  justified  to  the  Chamber 
on  the  ground  that  the  public  safety  requires  it — The  true  explanation        .     349 


CHAPTER  XXX 

First  suspicion  that  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  is  enceinte — Dr.  Gintrac,  of 
Bordeaux,  visits  the  princess — Reticence  of  this  physician— Refusal  of 
Madame  to  see  Barthez,  the  surgeon  attached  to  the  citadel ;  her  letter  to 
the  commandant,  Colonel  Chousserie — The  Government  send  Drs.  Auvitz 
and  Orfila  to  Blaye — The  announcement  of  their  departure  followed  by  a 
violent  outcry  against  the  Ministry  in  the  Legitimist  journals,  which  demand 
the  immediate  release  of  the  princess,  on  the  ground  that  her  captivity 
is  endangering  her  life — Reports  of  the  doctors — Rumour  that  Madame  is 
enceinte  begins  to  circulate  in  Paris — Article  in  the  Corsaire,  followed  by  a 
duel  in  which  the  writer  is  wounded — Threats  of  the  Legitimists  defied  by 
the  National  and  the  Tribune — Twelve  duels  arranged — Armand  Carrel, 
editor  of  the  National,  severely  wounded  in  an  encounter  with  M.  Roux- 
Laborie — Wrath  of  the  Republicans — Interference  of  the  Government — 
Sad  situation  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Blaye — General  Bugeaud  re- 
places Colonel  Chousserie  as  commandant  of  the  citadel,  and  subjects 
the  unfortunate  prisoner  to  the  most  rigorous  surveillance — Despatches  of 
Bugeaud  to  the  Government — The  declaration  of  February  22,  1833,  in 
which  Madame  admits  her  condition,  and  declares  that  she  was  secretly 


xx  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 


married  during  her  residence  in  Italy — Letter  of  the  princess  to  Mesnard — 
The  declaration  is  published  in  the  Moniteur  of  February  26 — Immense 
sensation  in  Paris  :  joy  of  the  Orleanists,  consternation  of  the  Legitimists — 
The  secret  marriage  is  not  credited  :  scandalous  rumours — Dr.  Meniere  at 
Blaye — He  is  summoned  to  Paris — Singular  interview  between  him  and 
Louis-Philippe 356 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

The  Government  insist  that  the  accouchement  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  shall 
take  place  in  the  presence  of  official  witnesses,  in  order  that  her  supposed 
dishonour  may  be  established  beyond  dispute — Intolerable  surveillance  to 
which  the  princess  is  subjected — Violent  scene  between  Madame  and 
General  Bugeaud — Precautions  taken  by  the  latter  to  ensure  the  publicity 
of  the  event — The  princess  consents  to  the  conditions  which  the  Government 
desires  to  impose — She  gives  birth  to  a  daughter  on  the  morning  of 
May  10,  1833,  and  causes  it  to  be  announced  that  she  is  the  wife  of  the 
Count  Ettore  Lucchesi-Palli — The  marriage  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and 
Lucchesi-Palli  no  longer  contestable — The  marriage-deed  in  the  archives  of 
the  Vicariat  at  Rome — The  letters  in  the  archives  of  the  Chateau  of 
Brunnsee — Twofold  importance  of  these  letters,  which  establish  not  only  the 
marriage,  but  the  legitimacy  of  the  child  born  at  Blaye — The  story  of 
Madame1  s  secret  journey  to  Rotterdam,  at  first  received  with  incredulity, 
confirmed  by  them  and  the  testimony  of  Madame  Harson — Question 
whether  Lucchesi  visited  the  princess  at  Nantes — Proof  adduced  by  M. 
Thirria — Reasons  which  induced  the  princess  to  guard  the  secret  of  her 
morganatic  union— Her  letter  to  Chateaubriand — Sad  results  of  the  scandal 
which  her  silence  has  provoked — Acquittal  of  the  leaders  of  the  insurrection 
— Chateaubriand's  visit  to  Prague — Departure  of  Madame  from  Blaye — 
She  sails  for  Palermo,  where  she  is  received  by  her  husband,  and  disappears 
into  private  life  ............     364 


Index 


377 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry  .         .         .       Photogravure  Frontispiece 

From  the  Engraving  by  Grevedon,  after  the  Painting  by  Sir  Thomas 
Lawrence 

FACING 
PAGE 

The  Royal  Family  of  Naples  (Ferdinand  IV.  and  Maria  Carolina 

and  their  Children) 8 

From  an  Engraving  in  the  British  Museum 

Louis  XVIII.,  King  of  France 40 

From  an  Engraving  by  P.  Andouin,  after  the  Drawing  by  P.  Bouillon 

Charles  Ferdinand  d'Artois,  Due  de  Berry 66 

From  a  Lithograph  by  Delpech 

Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry 104 

From  an  Engraving,  after  the  Painting  by  Hesse 

Elie,  Due  Decazes 130 

From  an  Engraving  by  P.  Teschi,  after  the  Painting  by  F.  Gerard 

Death  of  the  Due  de  Berry 154 

From  the  Painting  by  Mayaud,  at  Versailles 

Zoe  Talon,  Comtesse  du  Cayla 2oj 

From  the  Painting  by  Louis  David,  by  permission  of  Goupil  &  Co. 

Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  with  her  Children,  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux,  afterwards  the  Comte  de  Chambord,  and 
Mademoiselle  ...........     232 

From  an  Engraving  by  Delannoy,  after  the  Painting  by  F.  Gerard 

Charles  X.,  King  of  France 258 

From  the  Painting  by  F.  Gerard.     Photograph  by  Neurdein 

Louis-Philippe  I.,  King  of  the  French 280 

From  the  Painting  by  Winterhalter,  in  the  Musde  de  Versailles. 
Photograph  by  Neurdein 

xxi 


xxii  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

FACING 
PAGE 

Louis  Auguste  Victor  de  Bourmont,  Comte  de  Chaisne,  Marechal 

de  France 300 

From  a  Lithograph  by  Delpech 

Mlle.  Mathilde  Lebeschu  310 

From  a  Lithograph  by  Bazin,  after  the  Painting  by  E.  Fechner 

Charles  Athanase  de  Charette,  Baron  de  la  Contrie   .         .         .3^ 
From  a  Wood  Engraving 

Antoine  Pierre  Berryer 326 

From  a  Lithograph  by  Delpech 

Thomas    Robert    Bugeaud    de    la    Piconnerie,    Due    d'Isly,    and 

Marechal  de  France 360 

From  a  Lithograph  by  B.  Roubaud 

Carlo    Vittore,    Conte    Lucchesi-Palli    di    Campo-Franco,    after- 
wards Duca  della  Grazia 37° 

From  a  contemporary  Engraving 


A    PRINCESS    OF    ADVENTURE 


"  Dans  la  tete  de  cette  h^roique 
princesse  il  y  a  de  quoi  a  faire 
vingt  rois."— Berryer. 


A  PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

MARIE   CAROLINE,  DUCHESSE 
DE   BERRY 

CHAPTER  I 

The  Bourbons  of  the  Two  Sicilies— Charles  VII.— Ferdinand  IV.— His  deplorable 
education — His  singular  character — His  marriage  with  the  Archduchess  Maria 
Carolina,  who  acquires  complete  ascendency  over  her  husband  and  governs  the 
kingdom  in  his  name — Arrival  of  Acton  at  Naples — His  reforms — Violent  resistance 
of  the  Queen  to  the  revolutionary  movement  both  at  home  and  abroad — Peace  of 
Brescia — Matrimonial  projects  of  Maria  Carolina — Marriage  of  the  Prince- Royal  to 
the  Archduchess  Maria  Clementina — Letter  of  the  Princess-Royal  describing  her  life  at 
Naples — Birth  of  the  Princess  Caroline,  the  future  Duchesse  de  Berry — Renewal  of 
the  war  with  France — The  Neapolitan  troops  occupy  Rome,  but  are  soon  obliged  to 
evacuate  the  city  and  retreat — Anarchy  at  Naples — Flight  of  the  Royal  Family  to 
Palermo — A  terrible  voyage — The  French  occupy  Naples,  and  the  Parthenopean 
Republic  is  proclaimed — Fall  of  the  republic  and  restoration  of  Ferdinand,  who 
wreaks  savage  vengeance  upon  the  leading  spirits  of  the  revolutionary  movement— 
Luisa  di  Sanfelice — The  Princess- Royal  endeavours  to  obtain  a  commutation  of  her 
sentence,  but  Ferdinand  is  inexorable — Illness  and  death  of  the  Princess-Royal. 

THE  Bourbons  of  the  Two  Sicilies  were  a  branch  of  the 
Bourbons  of  Spain.  Among  the  possessions  which 
comprised  the  vast  inheritance  bequeathed,  in  1700, 
by  Carlos  II.  to  Philippe,  Due  d'Anjou,  grandson  of  Louis  XIV., 
was  the  Kingdom  of  Naples  and  Sicily,  the  largest  of  all  the 
States  of  Italy,  with  about  six  million  inhabitants.  Obliged,  at 
the  close  of  the  War  of  the  Austrian  Succession,  to  purchase  his 
recognition  as  King  of  Spain  and  the  Indies  by  the  surrender 
of  his  Italian  dominions,1  Philip  V.  recovered  the  Two  Sicilies 

1  By  the  Treaty  of  Utrecht,  the  Milanese,  Naples,  and  Sardinia  were  given  to 
Austria,  and  Sicily  to  Victor  Amadeus  II.  of  Savoy.  In  1719,  Victor  Amadeus 
exchanged  Sicily  for  Sardinia. 

B  1 


2  A   PRINCESS   OF    ADVENTURE 

twenty  years  later,  and  in  1734  the  new  dynasty  was  implanted 
there,  in  the  person  of  the  Infant  Don  Carlos,  Philip's  eldest 
son  by  his  second  wife,  Isabella  Farnese.1 

Carlos  reigned  at  Naples  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He 
did  little  to  ameliorate  the  miserable  condition  of  the  country, 
though  Naples  itself  gained  greatly  in  social  brilliancy  and  in 
architectural  splendour.  The  imposing  theatre  of  San  Carlo 
and  the  royal  palaces  of  Capodimonte  and  Caserta  date  from 
this  reign.  The  latter,  situated  sixteen  miles  from  the  capital, 
in  the  midst  of  an  immense  park,  was  an  attempt  to  imitate  the 
splendours  of  Versailles,  and  is  said  to  have  cost  six  million 
ducats.2 

In  1759,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  his  half-brother, 
Ferdinand  VI.,  who  had  succeeded  Philip  V.,  Carlos  was  called 
to  the  throne  of  Spain,  and  transferred  the  Neapolitan  States 
to  his  third  son,  Ferdinand,  who  became  the  fourth  sovereign  of 
that  name  at  Naples  and  the  third  in  Sicily. 

As  Ferdinand  was  but  eight  years  old,  the  government  was 
carried  on  by  a  Council  of  Regency  with  the  Prime  Minister, 
Bernardo  Tanucci,  at  its  head,  while  the  education  of  the  young 
King  was  entrusted  to  the  old  Prince  of  San  Nicandro,  a  noble- 
man of  most  exalted  lineage,  but  in  other  respects  eminently 
unfitted  to  be  the  preceptor  of  royalty.  Anxious  to  preserve 
his  younger  son  from  that  melancholia  bordering  on  insanity  to 
which  both  his  father  and  his  eldest  son  had  been  victims, 
Carlos  III.  gave  directions  that  the  boy  should  lead  a  healthy, 
outdoor  life,  and  that  sedentary  occupations  should  be  so  far  as 
possible  avoided.  But  Tanucci  and  San  Nicandro,  who  desired 
to  keep  all  authority  in  their  own  hands,  interpreted  these 
instructions  in  a  sense  which  would  have  considerably  astonished 
his  Catholic  Majesty,  and  Ferdinand  grew  up  strong  and 
healthy,  an  intrepid  horseman,  an  excellent  shot,  and  an  experi- 
enced fisherman,  but  one  of  the  most  ignorant  monarchs  who 
have  ever  sat  upon  a  throne.  Not  only  was  his  knowledge  of 
any  foreign  tongue  confined  to  the  barest  smattering,  but  he 
could  not  even  speak  Italian  correctly,  and  used  habitually  the 
jargon  of  the  lazzaroni,  with  whom  he  loved  to  mix  and  with 
whom  he  was  immensely  popular.     Literature,  art,  and  science, 

1  Don  Carlos  assumed  the  titles  of  Charles  VII.  of  Naples  and  Charles  V.  of 
Sicily. 

-  About  ;£  1, 000, 000. 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  3 

were  to  him  little  more  than  names,  while  his  Ministers  took 
care  that  he  should  not  be  troubled  with  public  affairs,  and  he 
was  only  too  pleased  to  be  left  in  ignorance. 

His  Majesty's  manners  were  the  reverse  of  kingly.  He 
delighted  in  rough  practical  jokes.  On  one  occasion,  he  caused 
a  certain  Abbate  Mezzinghi  to  be  tossed  in  a  blanket  by  some 
of  his  boon  companions,  which  so  scandalised  the  worthy  man 
that,  though  quite  unhurt,  he  never  recovered  from  the  humili- 
ation to  which  he  had  been  subjected,  but  died  of  chagrin.  On 
another,  while  strolling  on  the  Chiaja,  he  perceived  a  sturdy 
and  exceedingly  dirty  beggar,  who  would  be  obviously  the 
better  for  a  bath.  Him  he  promptly  seized  by  the  legs  and 
flung  into  the  sea ;  then,  seeing  that  the  man  was  unable  to 
swim,  he  plunged  into  the  water  and  brought  him  laughing  to 
the  shore.  One  of  his  favourite  amusements  was  to  sell  the 
proceeds  of  his  fishing  expeditions  by  auction  on  the  quay, 
where,  clad  in  the  garb  of  an  ordinary  fisherman,  he  might  have 
been  seen  bandying  rough  jests  with  the  crowd  of  lazzaroni 
who  surrounded  him,  and  haggling  over  his  wares  as  though 
his  living  depended  upon  them,  for  nothing  delighted  him 
more  than  to  get  the  better  of  his  humble  customers. 

Ignorant  and  boorish  as  he  was,  Ferdinand  was  far  from 
being  a  fool,  for  under  his  rough  exterior  there  lay  a  vein  of 
natural  good-sense,  which  corrected  to  some  extent  the  defects 
of  his  deplorable  education,  and  there  were  occasions  when  he 
showed,  by  some  shrewd  remark  or  sagacious  action,  that  had  he 
received  the  ordinary  training  of  a  prince,  he  would  have  made 
a  very  capable  king. 

If  he  showed  himself  cruel  and  vindictive  in  his  later  years, 
he  was,  until  the  fatal  sequel  of  the  French  Revolution  had 
aroused  the  latent  cruelty  in  his  nature,  a  good-humoured, 
kindly  man,  with  a  real  sympathy  for  his  poorer  subjects, 
whose  grievances  he  was  always  willing  to  redress  when  they 
were  brought  under  his  personal  notice. 

In  1768,  Carlos  III.  obtained  for  Ferdinand  the  hand  of  the 
Archduchess  Maria  Carolina,  eldest  daughter  of  the  Empress 
Maria  Theresa  and  sister  of  Marie  Antoinette.  The  young 
princess  was  only  sixteen,  a  year  younger  than  her  husband, 
but  the  Empress  had  given  her  daughters  an  education  which 
had  prepared  them  at  an  early  age  for  the  role  which  they  were 
to  fill.     Less  beautiful  than  Marie  Antoinette,  the   Queen   of 


4  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Naples  far  surpassed  her  in  intelligence.  She  had  inherited  the 
clear  and  vigorous  mind  and  the  indomitable  will  of  her  mother  ; 
and,  girl  though  she  was,  she  came  to  Naples  with  the  fixed 
determination  of  playing  a  prominent  part  in  public  affairs. 
From  the  first  days  of  her  marriage,  she  acquired  a  great 
ascendency  over  Ferdinand,  and  had  no  difficulty  in  inducing 
him  to  abandon  to  her  the  authority  hitherto  left  in  the 
hands  of  his  Ministers.  Tanucci,  who  had  vainly  struggled 
against  her  influence,  was  disgraced  in  1777,  and  from  that 
time  it  was  the  Queen  who  governed  in  the  name  of  her 
husband  and  who  directed  as  sovereign  mistress  the  affairs  of 
the  kingdom. 

Maria  Carolina  surrounded  herself  with  a  brilliant  throng  of 
savants,  politicians,  and  men  of  letters.  The  great  economist 
and  jurist,  Gaetano  Filangieri,  author  of  that  Scienza  delta 
Legislazione  which  exercised  so  great  an  influence  on  Neapolitan 
thinkers ;  Mario  Pagano,  author  of  /  Saggi  Politici ;  the 
scientists  Palmieri  and  Galanti ;  the  historian  Francesco  Con- 
forti ;  the  poetess  Eleonora  de  Fonseca  Pimentel — all  these  and 
many  others  were  to  be  found  in  the  Queen's  salon.  Her 
Majesty  entered  with  enthusiasm  into  the  schemes  which  they 
propounded  for  the  regeneration  of  the  human  race,  and  under 
her  auspices  many  useful  reforms  were  set  on  foot.  The 
administration  of  justice  was  purified,  waste  lands  reclaimed, 
colonies  planted  on  uninhabited  islands,  roads  constructed, 
schools  founded,  agriculture  encouraged,  and  the  evils  of  tax- 
gathering  mitigated. 

But  the  great  ambition  of  Maria  Carolina  was  to  play  a 
prominent  part  in  the  politics  of  Europe — an  ambition  which 
necessitated  the  reorganisation  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  both  of 
which  had  fallen  into  a  deplorable  condition.  To  effect  this, 
she  summoned  to  Naples  that  singular  adventurer  John  Acton, 
then  in  his  forty-third  year.  The  son  of  an  English  physician, 
a  Catholic  and  a  Jacobite,  who  had  emigrated  to  France  and 
settled  at  Besangon,  Acton  had  been  for  a  time  in  the  French 
Navy,  which,  however,  he  quitted  for  the  naval  service  of  the 
Queen's  brother,  Leopold,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  where  he 
greatly  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery  and  skill  in  an 
expedition  against  the  Moors.  Acton  speedily  gained  the 
complete  confidence  of  Maria  Carolina,  and  from  Minister  of 
Marine  he  became  successively  Minister  of  War  and  commander- 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  5 

in-chief  of  the  land  and  sea  forces,  Minister  of  Finance,  and 
ultimately  Prime  Minister. 

The  shrewd,  energetic,  and  masterful  Englishman  laboured 
strenuously  to  infuse  vitality  into  the  sluggish  Neapolitan  ad- 
ministration, but  he  did  not  succeed  in  appreciably  bettering 
the  existing  state  of  things  ;  for,  though  in  a  few  years  he  had 
created  a  powerful  fleet  and  a  formidable  army,  the  increased 
taxation  which  this  necessitated  more  than  counterbalanced 
his  efforts  in  other  directions,  and  caused  acute  distress  and 
great  resentment.  This  was  the  more  unfortunate,  since  with 
the  advent  of  the  French  Revolution  republican  doctrines 
began  to  make  rapid  headway  at  Naples,  particularly  among 
the  middle  classes,  where  the  influence  of  the  French  Encyclo- 
paedists had  early  made  itself  felt. 

Maria  Carolina  had  incontestably  great  qualities,  but  she 
joined  to  them  very  grave  faults,  which  she  had  neither  the  will 
nor  the  desire  to  master.  A  good  wife — in  spite  of  what  Jacobin 
pamphleteers  and  republican  historians  have  asserted  to  the 
contrary — an  affectionate  mother,  sincerely  religious,  generous 
and  charitable  towards  all,  she  had  never  learned  to  control  the 
violence  of  her  passions.  In  evil  as  in  good,  in  her  hatred  as 
in  her  affections,  she  knew  no  half  measures,  and  when  the  pro- 
gress of  the  revolutionary  movement  in  France  had  rudely 
opened  her  eyes  to  the  true  meaning  of  the  new  ideas  which 
she  had  formerly  admired  and  protected,  she  combated  them 
with  a  violence  which  bordered  on  frenzy. 

Goaded  to  fury  by  the  terrible  fate  of  her  brother-in-law  and 
sister,  and  encouraged  by  Acton,  and  later  by  the  too  famous 
Lady  Hamilton,  who  from  the  end  of  1792  became  her  intimate 
friend  and  counsellor,  she  determined  that  no  quarter  should  be 
given  either  to  French  assassins  or  Neapolitan  republicans.  An 
alliance  was  concluded  with  England  and  Austria  against 
France  ;  warships  were  despatched  to  Toulon,  troops  to  Corsica 
and  the  Tyrol  ;  a  White  Terror  was  established  at  Naples ;  the 
fortresses  and  prisons  were  crowded  with  suspects,  and  more 
than  sixty  Jacobins  were  sent  to  the  scaffold.  The  Neapolitan 
revolution  was  checked  for  the  time  being,  though  the  repressive 
measures  adopted,  the  grinding  taxation  which  the  expenses  of 
the  war  entailed,  and  the  shameful  manipulation  of  the  national 
banks  by  the  necessitous  Government,  alienated  numbers  who 
had   little   sympathy   with   liberal   opinions.     But    everywhere 


6  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

save  upon  the  sea  the  tricolour  triumphed  ;  before  its  victorious 
march  thrones  and  principalities  tottered  to  their  fall  ;  one  after 
another  the  enemies  of  the  Revolution  were  obliged  to  sue  for 
peace,  and  in  1797,  to  the  despair  of  the  Queen,  Naples — which 
alone  of  all  the  Italian  states  still  defied  Bonaparte — was  forced 
to  bend  the  knee  to  the  conqueror  and  acknowledge  the  Cisalpine 
Republic  at  the  Peace  of  Brescia. 

One  of  the  most  cherished  plans  of  Maria  Carolina  was  to 
strengthen  the  ties  which  bound  the  Neapolitan  Bourbons  to 
the  House  of  Hapsburg  by  marrying  her  elder  children l  to  their 
Austrian  cousins.  Her  motives  in  this  matter  were  partly 
personal  and  partly  political.  She  was  warmly  attached  to  her 
relatives  at  Vienna  and  Florence  ;  she  disliked  the  feeble 
Carlos  IV.,  and  detested  his  intriguing  consort,  who  had  made 
proposals  for  alliances  between  their  children  and  Ferdinand's 
and  she  resented  the  ascendency  which  Spain  exercised  in 
Neapolitan  affairs.  Moreover,  when  the  Revolution  broke  out, 
she  believed — though  she  was  soon  to  discover  her  mistake — 
that  the  only  hope  of  preserving  her  husband's  throne  lay  in  the 
power  of  Austria  to  effect  a  coalition  which  should  stem  the 
epidemic  of  republicanism  which  must  soon  endanger  it. 

She  had  some  difficulty  in  overcoming  the  reluctance  of 
Ferdinand,  who  was  naturally  pro-Spanish  in  his  views  ;  but 
Acton,  anxious  to  undermine  the  influence  of  a  Power  which 
had  been  consistently  hostile  to  Great  Britain  throughout  the 
eighteenth  century,  used  all  his  persuasions  in  the  same  direction  ; 
and  in  1791  her  dream  was  realised,  and  at  the  family  council  at 
Vienna  which  followed  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Joseph  II., 
three  marriages  were  arranged  :  one  that  of  her  eldest  daughter 
Maria  to  Leopold  II.'s  heir,  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  soon 
to  ascend  the  Imperial  throne  as  Francis  II,  ;  another  between 
her  second  daughter,  Luigia  Amalia,  and  the  Archduke 
Ferdinand  ;  and  a  third  between  Francesco,  Duke  of  Calabria, 
Hereditary  Prince  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  and  the  Archduchess 
Maria  Clementina. 

The  last  of  these  marriages,  which  is  the  only  one  of  the 
three  with  which  we  need  concern  ourselves  here,  was  celebrated 
on  June  15,  1797,  at  Foggia,  the  Prince-Royal  being  then  in  his 

1  Maria  Carolina  had  borne  her  husband  no  fewer  than  eighteen  children,  of 
whom,  however,  only  six  lived  to  grow  up. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  7 

twentieth  year,1  and  his  bride  in  her  sixteenth.  Their  married 
life  was  of  very  brief  duration,  which  was  the  more  unfortunate, 
since  it  appears  to  have  been  a  singularly  happy  one.  The 
young  prince,  who  reigned  later  under  the  name  of  Francis  I. 
of  the  Two  Sicilies,  had  received  a  very  different  education 
from  that  of  his  father  ;  indeed,  his  teachers  seem  to  have  been 
animated  by  the  desire  to  atone  for  the  paternal  deficiencies  by 
making  the  son  a  kind  of  walking  encyclopsedia.  He  is  said  to 
have  been  able  to  converse  in  ancient  and  modern  Greek, 
Latin,  French,  Spanish,  English  and  German,  and  his  know- 
ledge was  as  solid  as  it  was  extensive.  To  his  intellectual 
gifts  he  appears  to  have  joined  many  others,  for  his  wife 
declares  in  one  of  her  letters  that  she  "  loved  him  tenderly  and 
could  not  thank  Providence  enough  for  having  given  her  one 
who  united  all  the  qualities  of  the  heart  to  much  intelligence, 
to  a  great  fund  of  piety,  and  to  a  handsome  face." 2 

As  for  Maria  Clementina,  she  was,  notwithstanding  very 
delicate  health,  a  lively  and  amiable  girl,  who  speedily  won  the 
affection  of  her  husband  and  all  the  Royal  Family.  In  the 
letter  already  cited,  she  speaks  in  the  warmest  terms  of  the 
kindness  with  which  she  was  treated  by  the  King  and  Queen, 
and  gives  some  interesting  details  of  her  life  at  Naples : 

"  The  King  and  Queen  overwhelm  me  with  kindness  and 
regard  me  as  their  own  child  ;  there  is  no  little  attention  which 
mamma  (Maria  Carolina)  does  not  show  me,  and  it  would  seem 
as  though  her  sole  occupation,  from  morning  until  night,  was  to 
oblige  me  and  to  give  me  pleasure.  .  .  .  We  are  on  extremely 
affectionate  terms  with  my  sisters-in-law  and  little  brothers-in- 
law,  and  our  greatest  pleasure  is  to  meet  together  to  pass  the 
evenings  or  afternoons.  We  dine  every  day  en  famille,  and 
also  take  long  drives  into  the  environs,  which  are  superb ;  the 
high  roads,  all  bordered  with  trees,  appear  like  parks  and 
gardens  ;  you  see  the  vines  filled  with  grapes,  forming  garlands 
which  stretch  from  one  tree  to  another,  and  the  trees  are  so  near 
together  that  they  interfere  with  the  view.  One  has  no  concep- 
tion of  the  beauty  of  the  country  unless  one  has  seen  it,  and 
every  day  it  pleases  me  more.  The  Court  is  established  on  an 
even  grander  footing  than  the  one  I  have  left,  which  pleases 

1  He  was  born  in  August  1777,  and  not  in  1779,  as  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  states 
in  his  admirable  monograph  on  the  early  life  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry. 

2  Published  by  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  Marie- Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry. 


8  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

me,  since,  in  these  times,  it  is  more  necessary  than  ever  to 
impress  the  people.  That  is  what  their  Majesties  are  con- 
tinually saying,  and  my  husband  and  I  are  of  the  same  opinion. 
Mesdames  de  France  are  established  at  Caserta  ;  they  appear 
to  be  contented  there.  When  we  are  there,  we  see  them 
nearly  every  day ;  they  are  very  amiable  and  extremely 
intelligent." 1 

On  November  5,  1798,  at  the  Palace  of  Caserta,  the  princess 
gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  who  was  baptized  Maria  Carolina 
Ferdinanda  Luisa,  although,  as  she  is  better  known  to  history  by 
the  gallicized  form  of  her  name,  it  is  by  that  that  we  propose  to 
speak  of  her.  This  little  girl  was  the  future  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
the  subject  of  the  present  volume. 

Caroline  had  a  singular  childhood.  "  Born  in  an  epoch  of 
trouble  and  revolution,"  writes  her  earliest  historian,  "  her  first 
impressions  were  grave  and  serious.  Her  ears  were  early 
accustomed  to  the  sounds  of  war,  to  the  ominous  pealing  of 
the  bells,  to  the  thunder  of  cannon,  to  the  clamour  of  the  popu- 
lace, as  well  as  to  the  roaring  of  tempestuous  seas.  Thus,  her 
infancy  served  an  apprenticeship  which  was  one  day  to  be  of 
service  to  her  youth.  Later,  when  she  had  to  cross  the  ocean 
and  the  Mediterranean,  when  she  was  obliged  to  brave  all 
dangers,  endure  all  fatigues,  and  lead  the  life  of  battle-fields, 
that  vigorous  soul  which  her  childhood  had  tempered  for  her 
came  again  to  her  support,  and  she  recognised  in  danger  the 
old  companion  of  her  earliest  years."  2 

At  the  moment  of  her  birth,  Maria  Carolina,  encouraged  by 
Nelson's  great  victory  over  the  French  fleet  at  the  Battle  of  the 
Nile,  and  urged  on  by  Emma  Hamilton,  who  acted  as  the 
British  Admiral's  mouthpiece,  had  persuaded  Ferdinand  to 
abandon  the  nominal  neutrality  to  which  the  Peace  of  Brescia 
had  condemned  Naples,  and  to  renew  his  alliance  with 
England.  At  the  end  of  October,  1798,  the  King  and  the 
Austrian  general,  Mack,  whom,  at  his  wife's  instigation,  he  had 
summoned  from  Vienna  to  command   the    Neapolitan  forces, 

1  Mesdames  Adelaide  and  Victoire  de  France,  daughters  of  Louis  XV.,  had 
emigrated  after  the  days  of  October  and  eventually  taken  refuge  at  Naples,  where 
they  were  very  hospitably  received.  After  the  flight  of  the  Royal  Family  to  Palermo 
in  December  1798,  they  made  their  way  to  Trieste,  where  they  both  died  soon  after- 
wards, within  a  few  months  of  one  another. 

2  Alfred  Nettement,  Souvenirs  sur  S.A.R.  Madame,  la  duehesse  de  Berri 
(Brussels,  1837). 


z   - 

-  X 

-  •_ 


x    = 

^    - 

z  < 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  9 

advanced  on  Rome,  with  the  intention  of  expelling  the  French 
and  re-establishing  the  temporal  supremacy  of  the  unfortunate 
Pius  VI.  The  French  troops,  of  whom  there  were  only  a  few 
in  Rome,  retired  on  their  approach,  and  on  November  27  the 
Neapolitans  took  possession  of  the  city,  and  Ferdinand  wrote 
to  the  Pope,  begging  him  to  return. 

But  this  success  was  very  short-lived.  Championnet,  having 
concentrated  the  French  forces,  assumed  the  offensive.  Mack, 
though  a  brave  man,  was  quite  incompetent,  and  the  raw  levies 
of  which  his  army  was  largely  composed  had  no  stomach  for 
battle.  By  the  second  week  in  December,  Rome  had  been 
re-taken,  and  the  Neapolitans  were  in  disorderly  retreat.  The 
Jacobins  at  Naples,  overjoyed  at  the  reverses  of  the  royal  troops, 
sent  messages  to  Championnet,  begging  him  to  hasten  to  their 
assistance,  and  promising  him  an  easy  conquest.  They  no 
longer  troubled  to  disguise  their  sentiments  ;  continual  conflicts 
took  place  between  them  and  the  lazzaroni,  who,  by  a  singular 
inversion  of  the  usual  order  of  things,  were  by  far  the  most 
conservative  element  in  the  population,  and  the  city  became  a 
prey  to  anarchy. 

Perceiving  the  impossibility  of  resisting  the  victorious 
French  and  their  partisans,  and  that,  if  the  King  and  Queen 
remained  at  Naples,  the  fate  which  had  befallen  Louis  XVI. 
and  Marie  Antoinette  would  certainly  overtake  them,  Nelson, 
who  had  arrived  at  the  beginning  of  December,  pressed  upon 
them  the  urgent  necessity  of  taking  refuge  in  Sicily,  whither 
the  British  squadron  should  escort  them.  The  proud  Queen 
resisted  for  some  time,  declaring  that  she  preferred  death  to 
dishonour,  but  at  length  she  yielded,  and  preparations  for  the 
exodus  of  the  Royal  Family  were  at  once  begun.  A  subter- 
ranean passage  led  from  the  palace  to  the  Molesiglio,  or  little 
quay,  and  along  this  all  the  valuable  property,  both  public  and 
private,  which  could  possibly  be  removed  without  exciting 
suspicion  was,  with  infinite  secrecy  and  caution,  transported  to 
the  ships  in  the<bay.  By  the  night  of  December  21  all  was  in 
readiness  for  flight.  The  Royal  Family,  guided  by  Nelson  him- 
self, descended  the  secret  passage  to  the  Molesiglio,  where  boats 
from  the  British  squadron  awaited  them,  and  were  soon  safely 
aboard  the  admiral's  flagship,  the  Vanguard. 

For  two  days  the  fugitives,  detained  by  contrary  winds, 
remained  in  the  Bay  of  Naples,  and  scarcely  had  they  gained 


io  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

the  open  sea,  when  they  were  assailed  by  what  Nelson  declared 
to  have  been  the  most  violent  gale  in  his  long  recollection. 
The  sails  of  the  Vanguard  were  torn  to  ribbons  ;  her  masts  bent 
like  twigs  before  the  hurricane,  and  the  crew,  expecting  every 
moment  to  see  them  go  by  the  board,  stood  waiting  with  axes 
to  cut  them  away.  All  the  unfortunate  royalties  were  dread- 
fully ill,  and  the  youngest  of  Maria  Carolina's  children,  Prince 
Alberto,  a  delicate  boy  of  seven,  was  attacked  by  convulsions  ; 
and  when,  on  the  evening  of  Christmas  Day,  the  tempest-tossed 
vessel  entered  the  harbour  of  Palermo,  the  poor  child  had  ceased 
to  live. 

Sicily  had  been  practically  unaffected  by  the  revolutionary 
propaganda  which  had  worked  so  much  mischief  on  the  main- 
land, and  the  Royal  Family  were  received  with  transports  of 
enthusiasm  by  all  classes  in  the  island.  They  stood  sadly  in 
need  of  the  consolation  which  the  loyalty  of  the  Sicilians  afforded 
them,  for  three  weeks  after  their  departure  from  Naples,  the 
French,  in  spite  of  the  vigorous  resistance  of  the  lazzaroni, 
occupied  the  capital,  and  the  Parthenopean  Republic — so 
called  from  the  ancient  name  of  the  city — was  proclaimed. 

But  the  republic  was  of  very  brief  duration.  The  victories 
of  the  Austro-Russian  army,  commanded  by  Souvaroff,  in 
Upper  Italy  compelled  France  to  recall  her  troops  from  the 
rest  of  the  peninsula.  The  republican  governments  established 
by  the  French  were  overthrown,  and  many  prominent  Italians 
who  had  compromised  themselves  by  supporting  the  new  ideas, 
were  obliged  to  emigrate.  Cardinal  Fabrizio  Ruffo,  that 
warlike  prelate  who  boasted  of  employing  in  turn  the  keys  of 
St.  Peter  and  the  sword  of  St.  Paul,  at  the  head  of  a  motley 
host  of  peasants,  brigands,  and  liberated  convicts,  among  whom 
was  the  notorious  bandit  chief  Fra  Diavolo,  reconquered  Naples 
for  Ferdinand,  and,  on  June  20,  1799,  entered  the  capital  in 
triumph. 

A  bloody  reaction  at  once  set  in.  The  cardinal  had 
promised  the  Neapolitan  "  patriots  "  a  full  amnesty  ;  but  the 
trials  and  humiliations  he  had  undergone  had  aroused  the  dor- 
mant cruelty  in  Ferdinand's  nature,  and  he  absolutely  refused 
to  be  bound  by  the  terms  of  this  capitulation,1    and  wreaked 

1  On  the  vexed  question  of  the  repudiation  of  the  capitulation,  and  in  particular 
of  Nelson's  share  in  it,  see  Mr.  Walter  Sichel's  "Emma,  Lady  Hamilton"  and  an 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  u 

savage  vengeance  upon  the  leading  spirits  of  the  republican 
movement.  Both  the  Queen  and  Emma  Hamilton,  although 
French  and  Italian  historians  have  usually  depicted  them  as  the 
chief  instigators  of  these  reprisals,  endeavoured  to  moderate 
the  King's  vindictiveness,  but  without  success,  and  the  scaffold 
was  glutted  with  victims.  Neither  age,  sex,  rank  nor  virtue 
was  spared,  and  the  physician,  Dominico  Cirillo,  the  his- 
torian Conforti,  and  the  poetess  Eleonora  de  Pimentel  shared 
the  fate  of  the  most  blood-stained  Jacobins ;  while  the 
treacherous  Admiral  Francesco  Caracciolo  was  hanged  from  the 
yardarm  of  his  old  flagship,  the  Minerva,  upon  which  he  had 
fired.1 

Ferdinand  had  returned  to  Naples  soon  after  the  surrender 
of  the  city  to  Ruffo,  but  the  Prince  and  Princess-Royal  and  their 
little  daughter  remained  at  Palermo  until  the  summer  of  the 
following  year,  while  the  Queen,  who,  since  the  disastrous  result 
of  the  renewal  of  the  war  with  France,  had  lost  her  ascendency 
over  her  husband,  went  with  her  younger  children  on  a  visit  to 
Vienna,  and  did  not  reappear  at  Naples  until  the  beginning  of 
May  1802. 

When  the  Princess-Royal  returned  to  the  Neapolitan  capital, 
the  trial  and  execution  of  the  adherents  of  the  Parthenopean 
Republic  were  still  in  progress.  Among  those  awaiting  their 
doom  was  a  certain  Luisa  di  Sanfelice,  a  young  woman  of  great 
beauty  and  of  considerable  accomplishments,  but  of  a  very 
abandoned  life.  During  the  weeks  which  had  preceded  the 
surrender  of  Naples  to  Ruffo,  several  conspiracies  had  been  set 
on  foot  by  the  royalists  for  the  recovery  of  the  city.  One  of 
the  best  organized  of  these  had  for  its  guiding  spirits,  a  banker 
named  Vincenzo  Baccher  and  his  four  sons.  Unhappily  for  the 
conspirators,  one  of  the  sons,  Gerardo  Baccher,  had  conceived  a 
violent  passion  for  the  fascinating  Luisa,  and  was  so  foolish  as 
to  disclose  what  was  in  contemplation  to  his  mistress,  in  order 
that  she  might  provide  for  her  own  safety.  Luisa,  who  cared 
only  for  the  Baccher  money-bags,  and  nothing  at  all  for  their 
owner,  showed  her  gratitude  by  promptly  passing  on  the  secret 

article  by   Professor  Villari,   published  in  the  Nuova  Antologia   of  February   16, 
1899. 

1  Much  commiseration  has  been  wasted  by  historians  upon  this  personage,  who 
appears  to  have  been  a  double-dyed  traitor  and  thoroughly  to  have  merited  death,  if 
not  the  manner  of  it. 


12  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

to  her  amant  de  ccear,  a  violent  "  patriot "  ; x  with  the  result 
that  most  of  the  conspirators  were  arrested  and  shot,  the  impru- 
dent Gerardo  and  one  of  his  brothers  amongst  them  ;  while  Luisa 
was  lauded  to  the  skies  as  the  saviour  of  the  republic. 

When  the  republic  ceased  to  exist,  and  Ferdinand,  thirsting 
for  revenge,  returned,  Luisa  paid  for  the  prominence  which  she 
had  enjoyed  by  being  brought  to  trial  and  condemned  to  death. 
Thereupon  she  declared  that  she  was  with  child,  and,  though 
this  appears  to  have  been  merely  a  ruse  to  save  her  life,  her  case 
excited  the  compassion  of  the  tender-hearted  Princess-Royal, 
who  was  herself  in  an  interesting  condition,  and  she  determined 
to  procure  a  commutation  of  the  sentence.  A  few  days  before 
the  date  fixed  for  the  execution,  the  princess  gave  birth  to  a  son, 
who  was  baptized  Ferdinand,  after  his  grandfather.  Now,  there 
was  a  custom  at  the  Neapolitan  Court  that,  on  the  birth  of  a 
boy  in  the  direct  line  of  succession,  the  mother  was  entitled  to 
ask  three  favours  of  the  King.  In  order  the  better  to  ensure  the 
success  of  her  application,  Maria  Clementina  asked  only  one 
— the  life  of  Luisa  di  Sanfelice — and,  as  his  Majesty  had 
announced  his  intention  of  coming  to  pay  his  grandson  a  visit, 
she  enclosed  her  petition  in  an  envelope  addressed  to  the  King, 
which  she  laid  upon  the  child's  cradle. 

This  pathetic  manoeuvre,  however,  was  of  no  avail,  for 
Ferdinand,  after  reading  the  petition,  curtly  told  his  daughter- 
in-law  that  she  had  asked  the  one  favour  that  he  was  unable  to 
grant,  and,  though  the  princess  entreated  him  to  reconsider  his 
decision,  he  remained  inflexible,  and  the  sentence  passed  upon 
Luisa  di  Sanfelice  was  duly  carried  out.2 

The  poor  princess,  who  had  never  doubted  that  her  appeal 
would  be  successful,  took  the  tragic  end  of  her  protegie  so  much 
to  heart  that  her  convalescence  was  seriously  retarded,  and  she 
was  still  in  very  feeble  health  when,  some  weeks  later,  she  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  her  little  son.     From  this  blow  she  never 

1  Some  writers  assert  that  this  lover  was  Vincenzo  Coco,  the  Jacobin  historian 
and  renegade,  who  afterwards  attached  himself  to  the  Bourbons ;  others  that  his 
name  was  Ferri,  and  that  he  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  service  of  the  Parthenopean 
Republic. 

2  In  extenuation  of  Ferdinand's  conduct,  it  should  be  pointed  out  that  he  appears 
to  have  promised  the  surviving  members  of  the  Baccher  family  that  nothing  should  be 
allowed  to  interfere  with  the  course  of  justice,  and  probably  felt  that  it  was  impossible 
to  break  his  word  to  these  loyal  subjects,  who  had  made  such  cruel  sacrifices  for 
him. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  13 

recovered.  A  chill  which  she  contracted  not  long  afterwards, 
following  upon  an  attack  of  fever,  which  had  still  further 
undermined  her  scanty  reserve  of  strength,  developed  into  rapid 
consumption,  from  which  she  died  on  November  16,  1801,  to  the 
inexpressible  grief  of  all  the  Royal  Family. 


CHAPTER  II 

Respect  of  the  Princess  Caroline  for  her  mother's  memory — Second  marriage  of 
her  father — Her  early  years — Ferdinand,  at  the  instigation  of  the  Queen,  joins  the 
Third  Coalition — The  French  advance  against  Naples,  and  the  Royal  Family  is 
again  compelled  to  take  refuge  at  Palermo — Second  sojourn  of  the  Court  in  Sicily — 
Girlhood  of  the  Princess  Caroline — Her  education — Maria  Carolina's  affection  for  her 
— Arrival  of  the  Due  d'Orleans  at  Palermo — His  marriage  with  the  Princess  Amalia 
— Troubles  in  Sicily — Maria  Carolina  and  Lord  William  Bentinck — Establishment 
of  a  constitution  on  the  English  model — Bentinck  insists  on  the  departure  of  the 
Queen  from  Sicily,  and  she  is  compelled  to  retire  to  Austria — Maria  Carolina  and 
the  Empress  Marie  Louise  at  the  Castle  of  Hetzendorf — Death  of  the  Queen — Grief 
of  the  Princess  Caroline — Her  resentment  against  Bentinck,  whom  she  regards  as  her 
grandmother's  "murderer  " — Second  restoration  of  Ferdinand. 

THE  future  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  only  three  years  old 
at  the  time  of  her  mother's  death.  "  I  was  then  too 
young  to  be  able  to  remember  her,"  she  wrote  after- 
wards in  her  journal ;  "  but  I  have  found  ineffaceable  souvenirs 
of  her  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  persons  who  have  had  the  happi- 
ness to  approach  her  and  admire  her  virtues.  May  Heaven 
accord  to  her  prayers  the  favour  which  I  implore  of  labouring 
to  deserve  them,  her  virtues,  her  enlightened  piety,  her  benevo- 
lence, in  a  word,  all  which  sustains  my  regret  for  not  having 
known  her  !  How  I  would  have  cherished  her !  I  judge  of  this 
from  the  sentiments  I  experience  for  the  second  and  tender 
mother  whom  Heaven  has  given  me  in  the  person  of  H.R.H. 
the  Infanta  Maria  Isabella  of  Spain,  who  overwhelms  me  with 
unfailing  kindness."  * 

The  Infanta  Maria  Isabella,  of  whom  the  writer  speaks  in 
such  high  terms,  was  the  daughter  of  Carlos  IV.  of  Spain,  and 
the  sister  of  Ferdinand  VII.  She  became  the  second  wife  of 
the  Prince-Royal  on  July  6,  1802,  only  eight  months  after  the 
death  of  poor  Maria  Clementina,  the  necessity  of  assuring  the 

1  Pricis  des  emblements  de  ma  vie  depuis  ?non  enfance  jusque  mon  mariage  avec  le 
due  de  Berry,  cited  by  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de 
Louis  XVIII. 

14 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  15 

succession  in  the  direct  line,  having  compelled  Francis  to  curtail 
the  usual  period  of  widowhood.  She  bore  her  husband  eleven 
children,  among  whom  were  Ferdinand  Charles,  Duke  of  Nolo, 
who  succeeded  his  father  as  Ferdinand  II.  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
and  Maria  Christina,  who  became,  in  1829,  the  fourth  wife 
of  Ferdinand  VII.  of  Spain. 

Fortunately  for  the  little  Caroline,  she  had  not  inherited  her 
mother's  delicate  constitution,  and,  though  she  had  her  fair 
share  of  juvenile  ailments,  they  left  no  permanent  effect  upon 
her  health,  and  she  grew  up  a  strong,  lively  and  intelligent 
child.  Her  education  was  conducted  with  great  care,  first  under 
the  superintendence  of  Madame  de  Dombasle,  who  had  been 
gouvernante  to  her  mother  at  Vienna,  and  afterwards  under  that 
of  the  Comtesse  de  la  Tour,1  of  both  of  whom  she  speaks  in  her 
journal  with  great  affection,  as  well  as  of  two  of  her  tutors,  a 
bishop  named  Olivieri,  and  a  certain  Don  Paolo  Giovanini,  "  a 
worthy  ecclesiastic,  who  also  has  claims  on  my  remembrance  and 
my  gratitude,  for  the  patience  and  zeal  which  he  employed  in  my 
instruction." 

In  January  1806,  when  the  little  princess  was  seven  years 
old,  her  family  was  for  the  second  time  obliged  to  fly  from 
Naples  and  take  refuge  in  Sicily.  After  Napoleon's  victorious 
campaign  of  Marengo  had  laid  Italy  once  more  at  his  feet, 
Ferdinand  was  compelled  to  make  peace  with  France,  amnesty 
the  Neapolitan  Jacobins,  and  allow  French  troops  to  occupy  his 
dominions,  as  a  guarantee  for  his  future  good  behaviour.  Both 
the  King  and  Maria  Carolina  chafed  beneath  the  insolence  of 
the  conqueror,  who  in  1803  insisted  on  the  dismissal  of  Acton, 
on  the  ground  that,  being  an  Englishman,  he  must  necessarily 
be  hostile  to  French  interests.  In  1805,  at  the  instigation  of 
the  Queen,  who  had  recovered  much  of  her  former  influence 
over  her  husband,  Ferdinand  joined  the  Third  Coalition  and 
permitted  13,000  English  and  Russian  troops  to  disembark  at 
Naples.  But  Ulm  and  Austerlitz  having  left  Napoleon  free  to 
deal  with  his  enemies  in  Italy,  a  French  army  was  despatched 
to  Naples,  "to  cast  from  the  throne  that  guilty  woman  who 
has  so  often  and  with  so  much  effrontery  profaned  every 
law,  human  and  divine  "  ;  the  Royal  Family  fled  to  Palermo, 

1  Marie  Louise  Henriette  d'Heillimer.  She  and  her  husband  were  among  the 
many  French  aristocrats  who  had  found  an  asylum  at  Naples.  She  died  in  that  city 
in  1857,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two. 


\6  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  Joseph  Bonaparte  reigned  in  Ferdinand's  stead  at  Naples 
until  1808,  when  the  ill-fated  Murat  succeeded  him. 

By  a  singular  coincidence,  the  elements  were  even  less  pro- 
pitious than  on  the  occasion  of  their  former  exodus  in  1798  ; 
and  though,  after  battling  with  wind  and  sea  for  five  days,  the 
Archimede,  the  vessel  which  bore  the  Royal  Family,  arrived 
safely  at  Palermo,  many  of  her  consorts  were  driven  ashore  on 
the  Neapolitan  coast,  and  most  of  the  property  of  the  unfortu- 
nate courtiers  and  of  the  costly  furniture  which  had  been 
removed  from  the  Palazzo  Reale  at  Naples,  the  artillery,  and 
the  archives  of  the  Foreign  Office  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
French. 

The  second  sojourn  of  the  Court  in  Sicily,  which  lasted 
more  than  nine  years,  was  a  much  more  trying  experience  than 
the  first.  The  loss  of  the  furniture  intended  to  transform  the 
bare  and  dilapidated  royal  palace  at  Palermo  into  a  habitable 
abode  was  a  bitter  disappointment ;  money  was  so  scarce  that 
the  Royal  Family  were  compelled  to  dismiss  the  greater  num- 
ber of  their  attendants  ;  the  burden  of  the  war  and  the  favour 
shown  by  the  King  and  Queen  to  the  Neapolitan  loyalists 
who  crowded  to  the  island  were  strongly  resented  by  the  inhabi- 
tants and  cost  them  much  of  their  former  popularity,  and  for 
some  time  they  were  in  constant  dread  lest  the  French,  not 
satisfied  with  the  conquest  of  Naples,  should  invade  Sicily  also. 

Maria  Carolina,  who  had  always  disliked  Sicily,  was  in 
despair,  and  wrote  to  the  Empress  of  Germany  that  her 
daughters,  the  Princesses  Christina  and  Amalia,  "  mingled  their 
tears  with  hers."  But  Ferdinand,  who  preserved  in  the  midst 
of  the  gravest  crises  his  jovial  and  careless  humour,1  and  was 
now  able  to  lead  a  life  free  from  all  constraint  and  to  enjoy 
much  greater  facilities  for  sport  than  he  found  at  Naples,  was 
happy  enough  with  his  gun,  his  fishing-rod,  and  his  mistresses. 

1  "  I  hear  from  Palermo  that  the  same  day  that  the  King  arrived  there  he  went  to 
the  theatre,  and  the  following  day  to  the  chase,  and  that  he  has  assisted  regularly  at 
all  the  public  balls  that  have  been  given  during  the  Carnival.  The  indifference  and 
apathy  of  this  prince  are  certainly  very  difficult  to  understand.  On  the  day  on  which 
he  was  obliged  to  fly  from  Naples,  he  refused  to  embark  until  after  he  had  been  to 
the  play,  and  the  last  word  that  he  spoke,  before  all  his  Court,  on  leaving  this  palace, 
where  he  had  reigned  for  forty-seven  years  and  which  he  is  never  to  enter  again,  was 
as  follows  :  *  Let  them  not  forget  to  bring  my  supper  on  board  and  to  keep  it  hot.'  " 
Despatch  of  Alquier,  French  Ambassador  at  Naples,  to  Talleyrand,  February  26, 
1806,  in  Imbert  de  Saint- Amand,  Marie- Atnelie  et  la  Courde  Palerme. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  17 

The  Prince-Royal  and  his  placid,  good-humoured  Spanish 
wife  seemed  also  quite  resigned  to  their  fate.  The  Prince,  like 
his  father,  was  fond  of  a  country-life,  and  divided  his  time 
between  two  little  estates  which  he  had  purchased  at  Monreale 
and  Bocco  di  Falco,  where  he  lived  the  unpretentious  life  of  a 
small  landed-proprietor,  amusing  himself  with  sport  and  farm- 
ing and  sending  his  butter  and  the  game  which  he  shot  to  the 
nearest  market. 

Among  these  healthy  and  unconventional  surroundings,  so 
widely  different  from  those  amidst  which  most  royal  children 
were  reared,  the  little  Princess  Caroline  passed  her  girlhood. 
The  years  went  by  happily  enough,  for  in  the  numerous  offspring 
of  Francis's  second  marriage  she  found  plenty  of  young  com- 
panions, and,  though,  according  to  the  Queen,  the  Princess- 
Royal  often  declared  that  she  hated  children,  she  seems  to  have 
been  kind  enough  to  her  step-daughter,  while  the  Prince  was 
the  best  of  fathers.  Under  the  judicious  guidance  of  Madame 
de  la  Tour,  her  education,  at  the  same  time,  made  satisfactory 
progress,  for,  notwithstanding  that  she  was  naturally  somewhat 
indolent,  and  that  the  independence  of  character  which  she 
very  early  showed  inclined  her  to  rebel  against  such  studies  as 
required  serious  application,  she  was  extremely  intelligent,  and 
her  gouvernante  happily  possessed  the  rare  faculty  of  combining 
amusement  with  instruction.  The  young  princess  was  very 
fond  of  history,  and  loved  to  read  of  the  glories  and  misfortunes 
of  the  House  of  Bourbon  ;  she  spoke  and  wrote  French  almost 
as  fluently  as  she  did  Italian,  though  her  accent  left  a  good  deal 
to  be  desired,  and  orthography  always  remained  somewhat  of 
a  stumbling-block;  she  was  a  fair  musician,  possessed  some 
skill  in  both  drawing  and  painting,  and  had  a  genuine  love  for 
the  arts,  of  which  in  later  years  she  was  to  become  a  munificent 
patroness. 

Occasionally,  she  accompanied  her  father  and  step-mother 
on  visits  to  her  grandparents  at  Palermo — or  rather  to  Maria 
Carolina,  since  Ferdinand  seldom  honoured  the  Sicilian  capital 
with  his  presence,  unless  summoned  thither  by  State  affairs. 
Here  she  was  always  assured  of  a  cordial  welcome,  for  the  old 
Queen,  so  arrogant  and  haughty  towards  the  world,  and  so 
violent  in  her  political  animosities,  was  in  private  life  the  kindest 
and  most  sympathetic  of  women,  and  the  little  motherless  girl 
was  very  near  to  her  heart.   After  the  death  of  the  first  Princess- 


18  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Royal,  she  had  promised  Caroline  "  to  love  her  and  treat  her 
always  as  her  own  daughter,"  and,  down  to  the  time  of  her  own 
death,  in  1813,  she  showed  for  the  child  the  most  affectionate 
solicitude.  Here  is  an  interesting  letter  which  she  wrote  to  her 
grand-daughter  on  the  latter's  twelfth  birthday,  an  anniversary 
which  she  took  care  that  nothing  should  ever  cause  her  to 
forget : — 

"  My  very  dear  Caroline, 

"  Receive  my  sincere  felicitations  on  the  occasion  of 
your  fete-day,  and  the  assurance  of  the  good  wishes  that  I 
cherish  for  your  happiness  and  prosperity.  Accept  a  real  trifle, 
which  the  circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed  do  not  permit 
me  to  make  what  my  heart  would  desire.  You  are  now  entering 
on  an  age  which  will  determine  the  rest  of  your  life.  Strive, 
my  dear  child,  to  take  advantage  of  this  precious  time  to  confirm 
yourself  in  the  principles  of  our  holy  religion,  to  instruct  your- 
self, to  acquire  useful  and  agreeable  accomplishments,  and  to 
improve.  My  wishes  will  always  be  for  your  happiness,  and  to 
have  the  power  of  contributing  to  it  will  be  the  happiness  of 
your  very  attached  and  affectionate  grandmother."  * 

It  was  during  one  of  her  visits  to  Palermo — in  the  early 
summer  of  1808 — that  the  princess,  who  was  then  nine  years 
old,  saw  for  the  first  time  a  man  who  was  to  exercise  a  sinister 
influence  on  her  life  and  deprive  her  children  of  their  rightful 
heritage.  She  was  sitting  with  the  Queen  in  her  cabinet,  when 
the  King,  who  happened  to  be  making  one  of  his  rare  sojourns 
in  the  capital,  entered  with  an  open  letter  in  his  hand  and  a 
frown  on  his  usually  good-humoured  countenance. 

"Here,"  said  he,  holding  out  the  letter,  "is  an  exile  belong- 
ing to  a  great  family  whom  misfortune  pursues,  for  he  has  just 
lost  his  only  surviving  brother  at  Malta.2  He  has  landed  at 
Messina.  Would  you  be  displeased  if  I  were  to  invite  him  to 
my  Court  ? " 

1  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  Marie-Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry. 

2  Alphonse  d'Orleans,  Comte  de  Beaujolais.  The  previous  year,  his  second 
brother,  Antoine  Philippe  d'Orleans,  Due  de  Montpensier,  had  died  in  London. 
Both  these  princes,  the  elder  aged  thirty-one,  the  younger  twenty-eight,  died  of  con- 
sumption, the  seeds  of  which  they  had  contracted  in  the  cold  and  unhealthy  dungeons 
of  Marseilles. 


A   PRINCESS  OF   ADVENTURE  19 

"  What  is  his  name  ?  "  inquired  the  Queen. 

"  The  Due  d'Orleans,"  was  the  reply. 

The  princess  afterwards  declared  that  at  the  mention  of  the 
name  of  the  future  King  of  the  French  she  experienced  a  pain- 
ful emotion — a  kind  of  presentiment  of  the  part  which  Louis- 
Philippe  was  to  play  in  her  life.  But  this  feeling  soon  passed 
away,  and  the  impression  which  the  prince  made  upon  her  when 
they  met  was  not  an  unfavourable  one. 

Conscious  of  the  prejudice  which  must  exist  in  the  most 
reactionary  court  in  Europe  against  the  son  of  the  regicide 
"  Egalitd"  and  a  man  who  had  himself  fought  in  the  revolutionary 
armies  at  Valmy  and  Jemmapes,  the  Due  d'Orleans  did  not 
venture  to  present  himself  there  without  being  authorised  to  do 
so,  and  accordingly  wrote  a  very  respectful  letter  to  Ferdinand, 
in  which  he  assured  him  that  he  deeply  deplored  his  father's 
errors,  and  was  sincerely  desirous  of  proving  how  far  he  was 
from  sharing  them.  In  these  circumstances,  it  was  impossible 
for  their  Majesties  to  refuse  to  receive  him,  and  he  was  very 
hospitably  entertained,  although  the  Queen  afterwards  owned 
to  the  prince  that  she  had  had  the  greatest  horror  of  meeting 
him,  and  that  the  very  mention  of  his  name  made  her  shudder. 

This  prejudice,  however,  Louis-Philippe  soon  succeeded  in 
effacing.  He  appeared  as  a  penitent,  who  had  renounced  the 
aberrations  of  his  youth  and  become  one  of  the  most  fervent 
champions  of  legitimacy,  and,  convinced  of  the  sincerity  of  his 
contrition,  the  implacable  Maria  Carolina  consented  to  accord 
him  absolution.  His  insinuating  manners,  the  charm  of  his 
conversation,  the  strange  vicissitudes  he  had  experienced,  his 
touching  devotion  to  his  relatives,  the  courage  and  patience 
with  which  he  had  supported  persecution,  exile,  and  poverty — 
all  contributed  to  impress  his  hosts  in  his  favour.  The  Princess 
Amalia,  now  Maria  Carolina's  only  unmarried  daughter,  felt  for 
this  proscribed  prince  the  liveliest  sympathy,  and  listened  to 
the  story  of  his  wanderings  with  as  much  emotion  as  did  Dido 
to  those  of  iEneas.  Sympathy  was  ere  long  succeeded  by  a 
warmer  feeling,  and  when  Louis-Philippe,  deeply  touched  by 
her  kindness,  and  aware  that  nothing  would  more  effectually 
serve  to  rehabilitate  him  in  the  eyes  of  his  relatives  than  his 
marriage  with  a  niece  of  Marie  Antoinette  and  a  daughter  of 
the  most  ardent  champion  of  the  ancien  rigime,  demanded  her 
hand  in  marriage,  she  was  perfectly  ready  to  accord  it. 


20  A  PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

The  course  of  true  love,  however,  did  not  run  altogether 
smoothly.  The  Queen,  anxious  to  keep  one  of  her  daughters 
near  her,  approved  of  the  match,  and  Ferdinand  for  a  time  also 
favoured  it  ;  but  during  Louis-Philippe's  absence  in  Spain  in 
the  autumn  of  that  year,  the  Marquis  of  Circello,  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs,  and  other  influential  persons  who  shared  the 
prejudices  of  the  French  emigres  against  the  duke,  persuaded 
the  King  that  his  prospective  son-in-law  was  "  a  prince  of 
measureless  ambition,"  whose  object  in  coming  to  Sicily  was  to 
assist  the  English  to  excite  a  revolution  there.  In  consequence, 
the  projected  marriage  remained  in  suspense,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  Princess  Amalia  had  declared  that,  if  she  were  not 
permitted  to  wed  the  man  of  her  choice,  she  would  become  the 
bride  of  Heaven,  that  Ferdinand  finally  consented  to  their 
union,  which  took  place  at  Palermo  on  November  25,  1809. 

When  Ferdinand  and  Maria  Carolina  fled  to  Palermo  for 
the  second  time,  they  appealed  to  Great  Britain  for  protection 
in  Sicily  and  assistance  in  recovering  their  lost  kingdom  of 
Naples.  The  British  Government  did  not  see  its  way  to  under- 
take the  conquest  of  Naples,  but  it  agreed  to  maintain  Ferdinand 
in  his  possession  of  Sicily  ;  and  the  island  was  accordingly 
occupied  by  some  12,000  English  troops,  and  an  annual  subsidy 
of  £300,000,  afterwards  increased  to  £400,000,  granted  to  the 
King,  for  the  support  of  his  Court  and  army.  The  Queen, 
however,  bitterly  resented  the  interference  of  her  protectors  in 
the  internal  affairs  of  Sicily.  Irritated  by  the  favour  shown 
by  the  Court  to  the  Neapolitan  emigrants,  who  filled  all  the 
most  important  posts  in  the  island,  and  the  heavy  taxation 
which  the  expenses  of  the  war  necessitated,  the  Sicilian  Parlia- 
ment refused  to  grant  the  required  subsidies.  Ferdinand,  at 
the  Queen's  instigation,  retaliated  by  promulgating  arbitrary 
decrees  of  taxation  and  causing  five  of  the  most  recalcitrant 
nobles  of  the  opposition  to  be  arrested.  The  Prince-Royal 
and  the  Due  d'Orlcans — rehearsing  the  part  which  he  was  to 
play  during  the  reign  of  Charles  X. — took  the  side  of  the  nobles, 
while  Maria  Carolina's  younger  son,  the  Prince  of  Salerno, 
supported  his  parents  ;  and  the  Royal  Family  was  a  household 
divided  against  itself. 

In  181 1,  the  British  Government  despatched  Lord  William 
Bentinck   to   Sicily,   nominally    as   envoy,   but   practically   as 


A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE  21 

governor.  Bentinck,  a  haughty  and  masterful  man,  had  an 
interview  with  the  Queen,  in  which  he  demanded  the  immediate 
release  of  the  imprisoned  nobles  and  the  repeal  of  the  illegal 
edicts,  and  told  her  Majesty  that,  unless  a  constitution  was 
granted  the  island,  a  revolution  was  inevitable.  "  Madame," 
said  he,  "constitution  on  revolution  ?" 

As  Maria  Carolina  refused  to  yield,  Bentinck  went  back  to 
England,  and  three  months  later  returned  to  Sicily,  armed  with 
the  fullest  powers.  Finding  the  Queen  still  deaf  to  reason,  he  had 
recourse  to  threats,  and  told  her  that  he  had  authority  to  suspend 
the  annual  subsidy  paid  by  Great  Britain.  Maria  Carolina  there- 
upon withdrew  from  Palermo  to  one  of  her  country-houses,  and 
Ferdinand,  left  to  his  own  devices,  took  refuge  in  a  compromise, 
and,  under  the  pretence  of  illness,  abdicated  his  authority  in 
favour  of  the  Prince-Royal,  upon  whom  he  conferred  the  title 
of  Vicar-General  (January  16,  18 12).  The  Vicar-General,  in 
conjunction  with  Bentinck,  then  proceeded  to  abolish  feudal 
rights  and  establish  a  constitution  on  the  English  model,  with 
an  Upper  and  Lower  House.  But  the  Queen,  extreme  in  all 
things,  now  hated  the  English  as  passionately  as  she  had  once 
admired  them,  and,  with  infatuated  obstinacy,  continued  to 
struggle  against  the  inevitable,  intriguing  perpetually  with  the 
enemies  of  the  new  constitution  and  urging  the  King  to  resume 
the  government.  At  length,  Bentinck,  perceiving  that  there 
would  be  no  rest  in  Sicily  so  long  as  she  remained  in  the  island, 
insisted  on  her  withdrawal,  and  coerced  the  reluctant  King,  who, 
despite  his  continual  infidelities,  was  sincerely  attached  to  his 
consort,  into  signing  the  order  for  her  departure. 

On  June  15,  18 13,  Maria  Carolina  quitted  Sicily,  "chased  away 
like  a  play-actress,"  as  she  subsequently  expressed  it,  and,  accom- 
panied by  her  younger  son,  the  Prince  of  Salerno,  journeyed  to 
Austria  to  seek  an  asylum  from  the  Emperor  Francis  I.  The 
Emperor  assigned  her  for  a  residence  the  Castle  of  Hetzendorf, 
not  far  from  Schonbrunn,  where,  after  the  fall  of  Napoleon,  she 
was  joined  by  the  Empress  Marie  Louise  and  the  King  of 
Rome,  her  grand-daughter  and  great-grandson.  Napoleon's 
misfortunes  and  the  intense  hatred  which  the  Queen  now  felt 
for  the  English  had  sensibly  modified  the  sentiments  she  had 
once  entertained  for  her  old  enemy,  and  she  is  said  to  have 
expressed  herself  very  strongly  to  Marie  Louise  in  regard  to 
the  latter's  conduct  towards  her  husband,  declaring  that  "  when 


22  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

one  is  married,  it  is  for  life,"  and  that,  if  she  had  been  in  her 
place,  she  would  have  made  a  rope  of  her  bed-curtains  and  let 
herself  down  from  her  window  to  join  him. 

There  was  now  no  obstacle  to  Maria  Carolina's  return  to 
Palermo,  which  she  hoped  would  soon  be  followed  by  her  return 
to  Naples.  But  the  Court  of  Vienna  was  still  at  this  moment 
in  favour  of  allowing  Murat  to  remain  in  possession  of  Naples, 
and  she  demanded  in  vain  the  restitution  of  her  husband's 
kingdom.  The  old  Queen  had  long  been  in  bad  health,  and 
the  grief  and  indignation  which  this  decision  occasioned  her 
is  believed  to  have  brought  on  the  attack  of  apoplexy  to  which 
she  succumbed  in  the  night  of  September  7-8,  18 14. 

The  Princess  Caroline,  who  was  warmly  attached  to  her 
grandmother,  learned  of  her  death  with  profound  sorrow.  "  The 
death  of  the  Queen,"  she  wrote  afterward  in  her  journal,  "  affected 
me  keenly.  In  her  I  lost  a  support,  a  mother,  and  I  have  never 
ceased  to  regret  that  I  was  unable  to  be  with  her." 

The  young  princess  was  greatly  incensed  against  Bentinck, 
whom  she  regarded  as  responsible  for  the  Queen's  death.  Some 
years  later,  in  Paris,  she  happened  to  be  visiting  her  aunt,  the 
Duchess  d'Orleans,  at  the  Palais- Royal,  when  she  perceived  that 
Bentinck  was  amongst  the  company.  Visibly  embarrassed,  she  at 
once  turned  round  and  left  the  room,  without  a  word  of  explana- 
tion. Next  day,  her  aunt  inquired  the  reason  of  this  abrupt 
departure.  To  which  she  replied  :  "  I  could  not  look  on  with 
composure  while  so  cordial  a  reception  was  being  given  to  a 
man  whom  I  regard  as  your  mother's  murderer  !  " 

Eight  months  after  the  death  of  his  consort,  Ferdinand, 
thanks  to  Murat's  ill-advised  attack  upon  Austria  during  the 
Hundred  Days,  was  once  more  reigning  at  Naples,  where  he  now 
abandoned  the  title  of  Ferdinand  IV.  of  Naples  and  Ferdinand 
III.  of  Sicily,  and  assumed  that  of  Ferdinand  I.  of  the  Two 
Sicilies. 


CHAPTER   III 

Portrait  of  the  Princess  Caroline  at  the  age  of  seventeen — Her  affection  for  Sicily 
— Arrival  of  the  Comte  de  Blacas  at  Naples  to  propose  a  marriage  between  her  and 
the  Due  de  Berry — Political  considerations  which  induced  Louis  XVIII.  to  seek 
this  alliance— The  proposition  favourably  received  by  Ferdinand  and  the  Prince- 
Royal,  who,  however,  leave  the  princess  free  to  decide  for  herself — Blacas  comes  to 
Palermo — The  princess  gives  her  consent — Portrait  of  her  by  Blacas — Letters  of 
Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Due  de  Berry  to  the  princess,  and  of  the  princess  to  the  Due  de 
Berry — The  princess  returns  to  Naples — The  marriage-contract — The  marriage  by 
procuration — Letters  of  the  princess  and  the  Due  de  Berry — Illness  of  the  princess — 
She  sails  for  Marseilles. 

A  T  the  time  of  the  final  restoration  of  her  family  to  the 
/  \  throne  of  Naples,  the  Princess  Caroline  was  in  her 
A  V  eighteenth  year.  Only  by  the  most  unabashed  of 
flatterers  could  she  be  called  beautiful,  but  her  appearance  was, 
nevertheless,  distinctly  pleasing.  The  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  grand- 
father of  one  of  her  most  recent  biographers,  who  saw  her  for  the 
first  time  on  his  arrival  in  France  in  the  spring  of  1816,  when 
he  commanded  the  Gardes  du  Corps,  who  formed  part  of  her 
escort,  has  left  us  the  following  interesting  portrait  of  the 
young  princess  : 

"  It  is  certain  that  the  princess  is  not  regularly  pretty,  but 
her  dazzling  complexion,  her  blue  eyes,  and  her  fair  hair  lend 
her  a  great  charm.  She  is  slender,  and  her  little  figure  is  well 
made,  although  her  bust  is  not  much  developed.  Finally,  her 
features  would  be  charming,  were  it  not  that  her  mouth  which 
pouts  a  little,  and  whose  lips  are  too  thick,  rather  tends  to  spoil 
the  rest  of  her  face.  It  appears  to  me,  also,  that  she  keeps  it 
almost  constantly  open,  but  her  lips  are  so  red  and  her  teeth 
so  white,  that  one  does  not  think  of  complaining  of  it.  This 
dazzling  freshness  is  what  strikes  one  the  most  in  her  person, 
and  her  air  of  extreme  youth  is  her  greatest  charm  ;  she  is 
seventeen  years  old,  and  it  is  such  that,  on  seeing  her,  one  would 
scarcely  take  her  for  fifteen.  Further,  her  interesting  counte- 
nance betrays  the  sweetest  of  natures.    I  have  heard  it  repeated 

23 


24  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

in  several  quarters  that  she  has  a  cast  in  her  right  eye  which 
causes  her  to  squint ;  but  I  have  seen  her  for  a  long  time  very 
closely,  and  I  confess  that  I  have  not  observed  anything  of  this 
kind  ;  she  has  one  of  the  most  agreeable  glances  and  perfectly 
straight."  * 

From  other  contemporaries  we  learn  that  she  had  a  singularly 
charming  smile,  extremely  mobile  features,  and,  though  the 
awkwardness  natural  to  her  age  had  been  intensified  by  the 
solitary  life  she  had  led  in  Sicily,  it  was  believed  that  when  she 
had  mixed  a  little  more  in  society,  it  would  speedily  disappear. 

Attractive  as  Caroline  undoubtedly  was  in  person,  in 
character  she  was  still  more  pleasing.  Simple  and  unaffected, 
amiable,  joyous,  kind-hearted  and  affectionate,  she  was  sincerely 
beloved  by  her  relatives  and  by  all  who  knew  her  intimately. 
Somewhat  timid  and  reserved  with  strangers  of  rank,  she  was 
fond  of  conversing  with  the  peasants  and  fishermen  she  met  in 
her  walks  and  rides,  having  been  accustomed  to  familiarity 
with  them  from  childhood,  and  was  very  popular  with  the 
lower  classes.  Like  her  mother  and  grandmother,  she  was  a 
devout  Catholic,  though  without  any  leaning  to  asceticism,  and 
there  was  in  her  a  strong  vein  of  romance,  which  had  been 
encouraged  by  her  study  of  history.  This,  joined  to  an 
obstinate  and  passionate  nature  and  exceptional  physical 
courage,  was  to  lead  her  to  dare  and  suffer  many  things  in  the 
troublous  years  which  lay  before  her. 

The  young  princess  did  not  return  to  Naples  with  Ferdinand, 
but  remained  with  her  parents  at  Palermo,  where,  since  his 
appointment  as  Vicar-General  of  Sicily,  the  Prince-Royal  had 
been  obliged  to  reside.  To  Maria  Carolina  that  lovely  and 
picturesque  island  had  been  a  place  of  exile,  associated  with  the 
bitterest  humiliation  of  her  stormy  life  ;  to  her  grand-daughter, 
with  her  intense  love  of  all  that  was  beautiful  in  art  and  in 
Nature,  and  her  romantic  imagination,  it  was  a  land  of 
enchantment  ;  and  she  never  wearied  of  roaming  through  its 

1  Souvenirs  du  Vicomte  de  Reiset.  It  is  interesting  to  compare  this  portrait 
with  that  given  by  the  Comtesse  d'Agoult  (Daniel  Stern)  :  "  She  was  not 
regularly  pretty  ;  her  features  offered  nothing  remarkable  ;  her  glance  was  uncertain, 
her  lips  thick  and  almost  always  open.  She  carried  herself  badly,  and  the  best-dis- 
posed observers  could  not  call  her  bearing  noble.  But  this  blonde  Neapolitan  had  a 
charm  of  her  own  :  a  marvellous  splendour  of  colouring,  silky  fair  hair,  the  prettiest 
arms  imaginable,  and  feet  which,  although  turned  inwards,  were  pleasant  to  look  at, 
so  small  and  well-shaped  were  they." 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  25 

fragrant  woods  and  gardens  and  exploring  its  ancient  temples 
and  ruined  castles,  which  recalled  so  many  memories  of  the 
undying  past. 

But  the  time  was  fast  approaching  when  she  must  quit  that 
land  of  sunshine  and  flowers  not  to  return  to  Naples,  but  to 
journey  to  another  country,  where  trials  and  misfortunes 
infinitely  greater  than  those  which  she  had  hitherto  experienced 
awaited  her. 

At  the  end  of  October,  18 15,  Louis  XVIII.'s  favourite,  the 
Comte  de  Blacas,  arrived  at  Naples,  in  the  capacity  of 
Ambassador  Extraordinary,  to  felicitate  Ferdinand  on  his 
restoration  to  the  throne  of  the  Two  Sicilies.  This  mission, 
however,  covered  one  of  far  greater  importance,  since  he  had 
received  instructions  to  open  negotiations  for  a  marriage  between 
the  Princess  Caroline  and  the  Due  de  Berry,  second  son  of  the 
Comte  d'Artois  (afterwards  Charles  X.),  only  brother  of  the 
King  of  France. 

From  the  first  days  of  the  Restoration,  the  marriage  of  his 
younger  nephew  had  engaged  the  attention  of  Louis  XVIII.,  for 
both  the  King  and  Monsieur's  elder  son,  the  Due  d'Angouleme, 
were  childless,  and  it  was  of  urgent  importance  to  assure  the 
succession  to  the  throne  in  the  direct  line.  Considerations  of 
foreign  policy,  however,  made  the  selection  of  the  princess  who 
was  to  perpetuate  the  race  of  le  Grand  Monarque  a  difficult 
matter.  For,  at  that  moment,  the  great  Powers,  whom  the  fear 
of  Napoleon  had  forced  to  forget  their  differences,  were  divided 
into  two  hostile  camps.  On  the  one  side,  were  Russia  and 
Prussia,  on  the  other,  Great  Britain  and  Austria,  both  eager 
for  the  alliance  of  France,  who,  although  she  had  lost  the 
European  supremacy  which  she  had  so  long  exercised,  would 
certainly  bring  it  to  whichever  alliance  she  preferred  to  enter. 
But  Louis  XVIII.  and  his  Ministers,  having  already  experienced, 
during  the  first  Congress  of  Vienna,  the  inconveniences  of  a 
decided  policy  in  circumstances  where  everything  was  vague 
and  uncertain,  were  resolved  to  hold  aloof,  recognising  that  the 
supreme  need  of  their  country  at  this  juncture  was  peace,  and 
that  peace  could  only  be  assured  by  the  neutrality  of  France. 
For  which  reason,  the  King  was  unwilling  to  seek  a  wife  for  his 
nephew  either  at  St.  Petersburg  or  Vienna,  since  to  approach 
Russia  would  be  to  alarm  Austria  and  Great  Britain,  while  to 


26  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

incline  towards  Austria  would  be  to  sacrifice  the  advantages 
which  France  might  be  able  to  hope  from  the  friendship  of 
Russia.  And  so  the  project  of  the  Due  de  Berry's  marriage  with 
a  Russian  princess,  which  had  been  more  than  once  mooted,  was 
definitely  abandoned,  and  it  was  determined  to  fall  back  upon 
a  family  alliance,  which  could  give  umbrage  to  no  one. 

Fearing  to  find  himself  forestalled  by  the  Court  of  Vienna, 
which,  not  satisfied  with  the  preponderating  influence  it  had  now 
acquired  in  Italy,  was  believed  to  be  also  seeking  the  Neapolitan 
alliance,  Blacas,  at  his  second  interview,  revealed  to  Ferdinand 
the  true  object  of  his  mission.  His  overtures  were  very  favour- 
ably received  both  by  the  King  and  the  Prince-Royal,  to  whom 
his  Majesty  lost  no  time  in  communicating  them.  Save  for  the 
difference  in  age — Caroline's  suitor  was  more  than  twenty  years 
her  senior — the  match  was  one  in  every  way  to  be  desired. 
Not  only  was  their  pride  flattered  by  the  knowledge  that,  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  events,  their  descendants  must  occupy  the 
throne  of  France  ;  but  they  perceived  that  an  alliance  with  the 
French  Bourbons  would  strengthen  the  position  of  the  King  of 
the  Two  Sicilies  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and  enable  him  to 
maintain  his  independence  in  the  face  of  the  pretensions  of 
Austria  to  dominate  the  peninsula. 

Though  highly  pleased  with  the  idea,  neither  Ferdinand  nor 
his  son  were  prepared  to  exercise  any  pressure  upon  the  young 
princess,  and  they  frankly  told  Blacas  that  he  must  submit  his 
proposition  to  Caroline  herself,  and  that,  if  she  declined  to 
entertain  it,  they  should  not  attempt  to  influence  her.  The 
Ambassador  accordingly  proceeded  to  Sicily,  but,  owing  to  the 
quarantine  regulations  necessitated  by  an  epidemic  which  was 
then  ravaging  the  western  coast  of  Naples,  it  was  not  until  the 
beginning  of  February  1816  that  he  was  able  to  land  at  Palermo. 
The  princess  had  already  been  acquainted  by  her  father  with  the 
demand  which  had  been  made  for  her  hand,  and,  though  she 
had  been  allowed  full  liberty  to  decide  for  herself,  "  she  made  no 
use  of  it,  except  to  conform  with  pleasure  and  confidence  to 
whatever  her  dear  parents  desired." l 

That  Caroline  was  well  satisfied  with  the  arrangement,  and 
that,  in  this  instance,  duty  and  inclination  found  themselves  in 
complete  harmony,  can  scarcely  be  doubted.     To  be  the  second 

1  Duchesse  de  Berry,  Precis  des  ivenements  de  ma  vie,  cited  by  Imbert  de  Saint- 
Amand,  la  duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  cour  de  Louis  XVIII. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  27 

lady,  and  eventually  the  first,  in  that  Court  which  had  once  been 
the  most  brilliant  in  Europe  and  would  probably  become  so 
again,  and  of  whose  former  splendours  she  must  have  heard  so 
much  from  her  French  gouvernante,  Madame  de  la  Tour  ;  to 
share  one  day  the  throne  of  that  country  which  had  been  the 
cradle  of  her  race,  and  before  whose  all-conquering  armies  the 
nations  had  lately  bowed  in  abject  submission,  was  a  prospect 
calculated  to  make  an  irresistible  appeal  to  the  imagination  of 
a  young  girl  who,  we  are  told,  had  always  felt  persuaded  that  a 
brilliant  destiny  awaited  her.  It  was  true  that  the  prince  who 
sought  her  hand  was  almost  as  old  as  her  own  father,  and  had 
once  been  the  suitor  of  her  aunt,  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans.  But  he 
was  still  only  on  the  threshold  of  middle  age,  handsome,  brave, 
good-natured  and — she  may  possibly  have  heard — a  great 
favourite  with  the  opposite  sex  ;  while  the  trials  and  hardships 
which  he,  like  all  the  other  members  of  his  family,  had  under- 
gone inclined  her  to  regard  him  with  that  sympathetic  interest 
which  is  so  often  a  prelude  to  a  sincere  attachment. 

When  therefore  M.  de  Blacas  was  released  from  the  lazaretto 
and  permitted  to  wait  upon  the  princess,  the  young  lady,  with 
many  blushes,  intimated  to  him  that  the  object  of  his  mission 
had  been  attained,  upon  which  the  gallant  Frenchman  lost  no 
time  in  begging  for  a  portrait  of  her  Royal  Highness,  which 
might  give  the  Due  de  Berry  some  feeble  idea  of  the  charms  of 
his  future  bride.  His  request  was  granted,  but,  as,  according  to 
the  count,  the  painter,  whose  name  he  mercifully  suppresses, 
"  had  not  acquired  the  first  principles  of  his  art,"  and  his  work 
was  the  very  reverse  of  flattering,  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  remove 
the  unfavourable  impression  it  might  create,  by  accompanying  it 
with  a  pen-portrait,  which  depicts  the  princess  as  possessing 
"  a  face  which  is  agreeable,  without  being  regularly  pretty  ; 
some  talent  and  great  taste  for  music  ;  a  very  sweet  and  very 
timid  nature  ;  not  so  much  grace  as  she  might  easily  acquire — 
which  he  attributes  to  the  fact  that  the  Prince- Royal  had  refused 
to  allow  her  to  have  a  dancing  master ;  teeth  which  will  be  good 
when  they  have  been  properly  attended  to  ;  and  a  figure  rather 
like  that  of  Madame  de  la  Ferronays."  ! 

On    hearing  of  the  success   of  his  Ambassador's  overtures, 
Louis  XVIII.  hastened  to  address  himself  directly  to  Caroline, 
to  intercede  in  his  nephew's  favour.     Here  is  the  letter  : 
1  See  page  33,  infra. 


28  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

"  Madame  my  sister  and  niece, 

"  It  is  under  the  auspices  of  the  King,  your  grandfather, 
and  of  the  Prince,  your  father,  that  I  demand  of  your  Royal 
Highness  the  happiness  of  a  nephew  who  is  very  dear  to  me,  and 
I  shall  dare  to  say  my  own.  Your  august  parents  consent  to 
your  marriage  with  the  Due  de  Berry,  and  I  entreat  you  to  give 
your  consent  also.  My  testimony  in  favour  of  him  whom  I 
regard  as  my  son  may  seem  open  to  suspicion  ;  yet  believe 
that  I  should  have  enough  control  over  my  dearest  affections  to 
renounce  the  hope  which  animates  me,  did  I  not  have  the 
certainty  of  assuring  your  happiness  as  much  as  that  of  the 
Due  de  Berry.  I  have  nothing  to  add  to  this  profession  of 
faith,  and  I  conclude  by  praying  your  Royal  Highness  to  count 
always  on  the  very  tender  sentiments  with  which  I  am,  Madame, 
my  sister  and  niece,  your  Royal  Highness's  very  affectionate 
brother  and  uncle, 

"  Louis 

"  Paris,  5  February  1816." 

The  Due  de  Berry  also  wrote  to  the  young  lady  to  plead 
his  own  cause : 

"  Paris,  1 8  February  1816. 

"  Madame  my  sister  and  cousin, 

"  It  has  for  a  long  time  been  my  desire  to  obtain 
the  consent  of  the  King,  your  grandfather,  and  of  the  Prince, 
your  father,  to  formulate  a  demand  on  which  depends  the 
happiness  of  my  life ;  but,  before  obtaining  their  approval, 
I  approach  your  Royal  Highness  to  entreat  that  you  will 
deign  to  confide  to  me  the  happiness  of  your  life,  by  uniting 
it  with  mine.  I  venture  to  flatter  myself  that  age,  experience, 
and  long  adversity  have  disciplined  me  sufficiently  to  render 
me  worthy  to  be  your  husband,  guide,  and  friend.  On  leaving 
parents  so  worthy  of  your  love,  you  will  find  here  a  family 
which  will  remind  you  of  patriarchal  times.  What  can  I  tell 
you  of  the  King,  of  my  father,  of  my  brother,  and,  above  all,  of 
that  angel,  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,1  that  you  have  not 
already  heard,  unless  it  be  that  their  virtues,  their  goodness, 

1  Marie  Therese  Charlotte  de  France  {Madame  Royale)t  daughter  of  Louis 
XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette.  She  had  married  the  Due  d'Angouleme,  eldest  son  of 
the  Comte  d'Artois,  in  1799. 


A  PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE  29 

are  above  all  praise.  The  most  perfect  union  reigns  among 
us,  and  it  is  never  disturbed.  All  my  relatives  unanimously 
desire  that  your  Royal  Highness  should  crown  my  wishes  and 
consent  to  augment  the  number  of  the  children  of  our  family. 
Consent,  Madame,  to  yield  to  my  prayers,  and  to  hasten  the 
moment  when  I  can  lay  at  your  feet  the  homage  of  the  respect- 
ful and  tender  sentiments,  with  which  I  am,  Madame,  my  sister 
and  cousin,  your  Royal  Highness's  very  affectionate  brother 
and  cousin, 

"  Charles  Ferdinand  " 1 

After  the  formal  proposal  for  her  hand  had  been  made  by 
Blacas  to  Ferdinand,  and  accepted  by  the  King,  the  princess 
replied  to  this  letter  as  follows : 

"  April  13. 

"Monsieur  my  brother  and  cousin, 

"Encouraged  by  the  permission  of  the  King  my 
grandfather  and  of  my  loving  father,  I  venture  to  express  to 
your  Royal  Highness  how  much  my  heart  is  penetrated  by 
gratitude  by  the  fact  that  you  have  wished  to  select  me  for  your 
consort.  The  consent  of  my  dear  and  adored  parents  to  this 
union  assures  your  Royal  Highness  of  mine,  since  I  have  never 
had  any  other  wish  than  theirs  ;  and  their  affection,  their  constant 
care  for  my  happiness,  have  rendered  this  duty  very  easy  to 
discharge.  In  the  grief  that  I  experience  in  separating  from 
them,  I  find  a  great  consolation  in  the  certainty  which  your 
Royal  Highness  gives  me  of  finding  again  in  his  family  the 
same  virtues,  the  same  gentle  ways,  the  same  union,  and  in 
your  Royal  Highness  a  friend,  a  guide,  who,  deigning  to  charge 
himself  with  the  happiness  of  my  life,  will  proceed  to  teach  me 
to  employ  all  my  feeble  means  to  ensure  his,  and  to  render 
myself  worthy  of  the  protection  of  his  Majesty  the  King,  and 
of  him  whom  I  shall  have  the  happiness  of  calling  by  the  sweet 

1  Most  of  the  letters  which  passed  between  the  princess  and  the  Due  de  Berry, 
from  this  time  until  their  meeting,  at  Fontainebleau,  in  the  following  June,  will  be 
found  in  Chateaubriand  (Memoires  lettres  et  pieces  autkentiques  touchant  la  vie  et  la 
mort  de  S.A.J?.  Mgr.  Charles  Ferdinand  d'Arlois,  fils  de  France,  due  de  Berry, 
Paris,  1820),  or  in  Nettement.  The  Vicomte  de  Reiset  has,  however,  been  able  to 
add  to  this  interesting  collection  several  which  had  not  been  communicated  to  these 
writers,  or  which  were  considered  too  sacred  for  publication  during  the  lifetime  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry. 


30  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

name  of  father  (the  Comte  d'Artois),  and  of  imitating  the 
virtues  of  their  Royal  Highnesses,  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme.  I  beg  your  Royal  Highness  to  be  persuaded 
that  the  occupation  of  my  life  will  be  to  prevent  him  ever 
regretting  having  confided  to  me  the  care  of  his  happiness.  It 
is  with  these  sentiments  that  I  am,  Monsieur  my  brother  and 
cousin,  Your  Royal  Highness's  very  affectionate  sister  and 
cousin, 

"  Maria  Carolina  " 

Caroline  wrote  from  Naples,  where  she  had  arrived  a  week 
earlier.  She  had  left  Palermo  on  April  2,  on  board  the  frigate 
Sirena,  escorted  by  thirteen  other  vessels  of  war,  and  had  been 
greeted  on  her  arrival  by  the  ringing  of  church  bells,  the  firing 
of  the  cannon  of  the  forts,  and  a  salute  of  one  hundred  guns 
from  the  British  Mediterranean  squadron,  which  was  then  lying 
in  the  bay.  All  Naples  was  en  fete ;  the  municipal  authorities 
waited  on  the  princess  and  presented  her,  in  the  name  of  the 
city,  with  a  magnificent  diadem,  which  is  said  to  have  cost 
240,000  ducats  ;  enthusiastic  acclamations  greeted  her  as  she 
passed  from  the  harbour  to  the  Palazzo  Reale  ;  and  the  emotional 
Neapolitans,  never  doubting  that  the  marriages  of  princesses 
are  arranged  in  Heaven,  flocked  in  crowds  to  the  Cathedral 
of  San  Gennaro,  to  return  thanks  to  that  popular  saint  for  his 
intercession. 

As  the  young  princess  had  quitted  Naples  when  she  was 
barely  seven  years  old,  she  had,  of  course,  but  a  very  vague 
recollection  of  it,  and  she  was  anxious  to  take  advantage  of  the 
short  time  which  remained  to  her  ere  she  left  her  native  land 
to  renew  her  acquaintance  with  those  marvels  of  art  and  Nature 
which  have  made  it  the  admiration  of  the  whole  world.  In  her 
journal  she  tells  us  how  she  visited  the  garden  of  the  Villa 
Reale,  the  Palace  of  Capodimonte,  Pausilippo,  Pompeii,  "  which 
interested  me  infinitely,"  and  Pozzuoli  and  the  Temple  of 
Serapis.  Everywhere  she  went  her  footsteps  were  dogged  by 
crowds  of  people,  and  at  Pompeii,  whose  inhabitants  seem  to 
have  found  as  much  to  interest  them  in  the  princess  as  did  the 
princess  in  the  antiquities,  the  crowd  was  so  dense  and  so 
determined  to  satisfy  its  curiosity,  that  it  completely  hemmed 
the  royal  party  in,  and  it  seemed  that  nothing  short  of  a  fresh 
irruption  of  the  volcano  would  persuade  it  to  make  way. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  31 

However,  they  were  at  length  permitted  to  proceed,  and 
departed  amid  a  tempest  of  "  vivas  !  "  This  must  have  been 
a  rather  trying  experience,  particularly  for  M.  de  Blacas,  who 
had  accompanied  the  princess,  and  whose  fastidious  nostrils 
were  unaccustomed  to  the  odours  of  a  perspiring  Neapolitan 
mob. 

On  April  13,  Blacas  brought  to  the  Prince- Royal  the  portrait 
of  the  Due  de  Berry,  in  order  that  Caroline  might  have  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  it  before  he  presented  it  in  due  form. 
Two  days  later,  the  marriage-contract,  which,  contrary  to  custom, 
had  presented  no  difficulties,  was  signed.  The  principal  articles, 
those  relating  to  the  princess's  dowry  and  the  provision  to  be 
made  for  her  by  Louis  XVIII.  in  the  event  of  her  widowhood, 
were  thus  conceived : 

"H.M.  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies  gives  as  dowry  to  the 
Most  Serene  Princess,  his  grand-daughter,  the  sum  of  120,000 
Neapolitan  ducats,  or  500,000  francs,  payable  in  eighteen  months, 
which  sum  the  said  Princess  may  use  and  dispose  of  in  con- 
formity with  the  laws  and  customs  of  France.  The  said  sum 
of  120,000  Neapolitan  ducats,  or  500,000  francs,  is  independent 
of  that,  also  of  120,000  Neapolitan  ducats,  or  200,000  florins, 
which  reverts  to  her  from  the  dowry  of  the  Princess  Maria 
Clementina  of  Austria,  her  mother,  of  whom  she  is  the  sole 
and  only  heir,  which  sum,  together  with  the  interest  due  from 
H.M.  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  not  forming  part  of  the  dowry 
of  the  Most  Serene  spouse,  she  can  enjoy  and  dispose  of  as  her 
private  property. 

"  In  addition  to  the  said  dowry,  H.M.  the  King  of  the  Two 
Sicilies  will  make  a  present  to  the  Most  Serene  Princess  Caroline 
Ferdinande  Louise  of  trinkets  and  jewels  to  the  value  of  500,000 
Neapolitan  ducats. 

"  H.M.  the  King  of  France,  will,  in  the  event  of  widowhood, 
settle,  as  jointure,  upon  the  Most  Serene  Princess  an  annual 
income  of  100,000  francs,  with  the  privilege  of  enjoying  it  in 
such  place  as  she  may  please,  either  in  France,  or  in  the  States 
of  her  grandfather,  or  in  any  other  States  or  country  outside 
the  States  of  his  Most  Christian  Majesty." 

Louis  XVIII.  also  engaged  to  present  the  princess  with 
jewels  to  the  value  of  300,000  francs. 

On    the    following    day,   before    dinner,    Blacas    formally 


32  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

presented  the  portrait  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to  his  future  bride, 
accompanied  by  an  appropriate  oration.  "  I  was  sensibly 
touched,"  writes  the  princess  in  her  journal,  "by  the  nobility 
of  his  discourse  and  the  sentiments  which  he  knew  so  well  how 
to  express.  Not  being  able  to  reply  to  it,  I  intend  to  show  him 
my  gratitude  and  my  sensibility  on  the  first  opportunity  I  have 
of  seeing  him.  From  this  moment  France  becomes  more  dear 
to  me,  and  I  promise  myself  to  share  my  affections  between  my 
family  and  that  which  I  have  the  happiness  to  enter." 

On  the  24th,  the  marriage  by  procuration  was  celebrated, 
with  great  pomp,  in  the  chapel  of  the  Palazzo  Reale,  in  the 
presence  of  the  Royal  Family,  the  Corps  Diplomatique,  the 
Ministers,  and  all  the  grandees  of  the  realm.  The  bride's  uncle, 
Leopold,  Prince  of  Salerno,  represented  the  Due  de  Berry,  and 
Cardinal  Ruffo  gave  the  nuptial  blessing.  Before  the  ceremony, 
Caroline  had  confessed  and  communicated  with  the  Royal 
Family.  In  the  evening,  the  whole  city  was  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated, and  a  gala  performance  was  given  at  the  Fondo  Theatre. 
It  terminated  with  a  transparency  representing  Louis  XVIII. 
bestowing  his  avuncular  benediction  on  the  bridal  pair. 

Immediately  after  the  marriage  ceremony,  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry — as  we  may  now  call  the  young  princess — wrote  to  the 
husband  whom  she  had  not  yet  seen  the  following  affectionate 
and  touching  letter,  to  assure  him  of  her  sincerity  in  the  engage- 
ment into  which  she  had  just  entered  : 

"  Naples,  24  April,  181 6. 

"  I  have  just  taken  at  the  altar,  Monseigneur,  the  solemn 
engagement  to  be  your  faithful  and  affectionate  wife.  This 
precious  title  imposes  upon  me  duties  which  I  most  willingly 
commence  to  fulfil  from  this  moment,  by  assuring  you  of  the 
sentiments  which  my  heart  has  already  vowed  to  you  for  life  ; 
its  sole  occupation  shall  be  to  seek  means  of  pleasing  you, 
conciliating  your  affection,  and  meriting  your  confidence.  Yes, 
you  will  have  all  that  is  mine,  all  my  affection  ;  you  will  be  my 
guide,  my  friend  ;  you  will  teach  me  how  to  please  your  august 
family  ;  you  will  (I  do  not  doubt)  soothe  the  keen  regret  which 
I  am  about  to  experience  in  separating  from  my  own.  It  is  to 
you,  in  a  word,  that  I  entrust  entirely  the  care  of  my  conduct,  that 
you  may  guide  it  towards  all  that  may  procure  your  happiness. 
I  shall  make  it  my  constant  study.     May  I  succeed  therein  and 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  33 

prove  to  you  how  highly  I  value  the  privilege  of  being  your 
consort.     It  is  in  these  sentiments  that  I  am,  for  life, 

"Your  affectionate  wife, 
"  Caroline  " 

On  the  same  day,  the  duke,  who  had  been  much  touched  by 
Caroline's  letter  of  the  13th,  wrote  to  his  young  wife  from 
Paris. 

"  April  24. 

"  Your  amiable  letter  has  given  me  a  pleasure  which  I  can- 
not express  to  you,  Madame  and  dear  wife,  for  to-day  we  have 
plighted  our  troth  to  one  another.  From  this  day,  we  are  united 
by  the  sacred  bonds  of  marriage — bonds  which  I  shall  ever  seek 
to  render  easy  to  you.  You  deign  to  thank  me  for  having 
chosen  you  as  my  life's  companion  !  What  thanks  do  I  not  owe 
to  your  Royal  Highness  for  having  acceded  so  promptly  to  the 
wishes  of  your  august  parents  !  I  appreciate  how  much  it  must 
cost  you  to  leave  them,  to  come,  almost  alone,  into  a  foreign 
country — though  it  is  one  which  will  soon  be  no  longer  foreign  to 
you — to  unite  yourself  to  a  man  whom  you  do  not  know.  I  have 
composed  your  Household  of  ladies  whose  virtue  and  kindness 
are  known  to  me  ;  and  the  King  has  approved  my  choice.  Your 
dame  d'honneur,  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio,1  is  in  despair  at  not 
being  able  to  go  to  meet  you.  Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  your 
dame  d'atours,  (mistress  of  the  robes),  sister  of  the  Comtesse  de 
Blacas,  will  be  the  first  to  have  the  honour  of  paying  her  court 
to  you.  She  is  a  model  of  virtue  and  the  sweetest  amiability, 
and  I  recommend  her  particularly  to  you.  She  will  present  to 
you  your  ladies-in-waiting.  The  Due  de  Levis,  your  chevalier 
d'honneur,  is  a  man  as  distinguished  for  his  good  qualities  as  for 
his  talents.  The  Comte  de  Mesnard,  your  first  equerry,  is  a 
loyal  knight,  who  did  not  return  to  France  until  I  did.     In  a 

1  Marie  Charlotte  Eugenie  Julie  de  Coucy.  She  became  in  1S12,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  the  second  wife  of  the  celebrated  soldier  Charles  Nicolas  Oudinot,  who 
had  been  created  marshal  of  France  and  Due  de  Reggio  in  1S09.  During  the 
disastrous  retreat  from  Moscow,  Oudinot  was  severely  wounded,  on  learning  which 
his  young  wife,  notwithstanding  the  remonstrances  of  her  friends,  persisted  in 
travelling  six  hundred  leagues,  in  mid-winter,  in  order  to  nurse  him.  The  touching 
devotion  to  her  husband  which  she  displayed  on  this  occasion  had  no  doubt  largely 
influenced  the  Due  de  Berry  in  selecting  her  for  a  post  which  would  bring  her  into 
close  intimacy  with  his  young  wife. 
D 


34  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

word,  I  hope  that,  when  you  know  them,  you  will  find  them 
worthy  of  the  honour  of  being  attached  to  you.  With  what 
impatience  do  I  await  the  news  of  your  arrival  in  France  !  How 
happy  shall  I  be,  my  dearest  wife,  when  I  shall  be  able  to  call 
you  by  that  sweet  name  !  All  that  I  hear  of  your  good  qualities, 
your  kindness,  your  intelligence,  your  graces,  charms  me  and 
makes  me  burn  with  desire  to  see  you  and  embrace  you  as  I 
love  you. 

"Charles  Ferdinand" 

On  the  day  after  the  wedding,  the  princess  went  to  visit  the 
Palace  of  Caserta,  her  birthplace,  which  she  had  not  seen  since 
her  childhood.  While  sauntering  in  the  beautiful  gardens,  she 
caught  a  chill,  which  developed  into  a  rather  sharp  attack  of 
fever.  The  doctors  who  were  called  in  decided  that  their  august 
patient  must  be  blistered  on  the  arm,  but  the  princess,  for 
obvious  reasons,  strongly  objected  to  such  a  remedy.  Finally, 
a  compromise  was  effected,  and  the  blister  was  applied  to  her 
Royal  Highness's  leg. 

The  illness  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  delayed  her  departure 
for  France  for  some  days,  and  it  was  not  until  May  14  that  she 
sailed  from  Naples,  on  board  the  Neapolitan  frigate  Christina. 

Her  suite  included  the  Prince  of  San  Nicandro,  son  of  the 
old  gentleman  who  had  so  shockingly  neglected  Ferdinand's 
education,  who  was  charged,  in  the  capacity  of  Envoy 
Extraordinary,  with  the  duty  of  finally  delivering  the  precious 
person  of  the  princess  to  Louis  XVIII.'s  representatives,  and  the 
Comte  and  Comtesse  de  la  Tour,  the  one  as  gentleman-of-honour, 
the  other  as  lady-of-honour.  The  Christina  was  escorted  by  two 
other  Neapolitan  vessels,  the  San  Ferdinando,  a  ship-of-the-line 
of  80  guns,  and  the  Fama,  a  corvette,  and  also  by  a  French 
schooner,  the  Momus. l  The  Sirena — the  vessel  which  had 
brought  Caroline  from  Palermo — with  the  King,  the  Prince 
Royal,  the  Prince  of  Salerno,  and  the  French  Ambassador,  the 
Comte  de  Narbonne-Pelet,  on  board,  accompanied  the  squadron 
for  some  little  distance,  and  then  returned  to  Naples. 

The  weather  when  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  left  Naples  was 
perfect,  but  some  hours  afterwards  a  south-westerly  gale  sprang 
up,  and  "  the  princess  paid  to  the  sea  the  inevitable  tribute  of  a 

1  The  French  frigates  Nertide  and  Fleur-de-lys  met  the  squadron  off  Hyeres  and 
escorted  the  princess  to  Marseilles. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  35 

passing  indisposition."  *  However,  after  blowing  hard  for  two 
days  and  nearly  driving  the  Christina  on  to  the  reefs  of  the  Isle 
of  Elba,  the  storm  abated,  and  at  half-past  nine  on  the  morning 
of  May  21,  the  cannon  of  the  Fort  of  Notre-Dame  de  la  Garde, 
which  dominates  the  beautiful  harbour  of  Marseilles,  announced 
to  the  expectant  city  the  arrival  of  the  young  princess  upon 
whom  so  many  hopes  were  centred. 

1  Moniteur,  June  1 3,  1816. 


CHAPTER   IV 

Arrival  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Marseilles — She  is  subjected  to  ten  days' 
quarantine  in  the  lazaretto — Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  her  dame  d'atours,  joins  her 
there — She  is  visited  by  her  French  Household,  with  whom  she  converses  through  a 
grating — Letters  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Due  de  Berry  to  the  princess — Her  diver- 
sions in  the  lazaretto — She  makes  her  official  entry  into  Marseilles — Ceremony  of  her 
delivery  to  the  representative  of  Louis  XVIII. — Her  reception  at  Marseilles — Her 
visit  to  Toulon — Correspondence  between  her  and  the  Due  de  Berry — She  leaves 
Marseilles  on  her  journey  to  Fontainebleau — The  Fete-Dieu  at  Aix — Her  reception 
at  Lyons — Her  arrival  at  Nemours — Increasing  ardour  of  the  Due  de  Berry's  letters 
■ — Meeting  between  the  princess  and  the  Royal  Family  at  the  Croix  de  Saint-Herem  in 
the  Forest  of  Fontainebleau — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Fontainebleau. 

EVER  since  the  appalling  visitation  of  the  plague  which 
had  swept  away  nearly  half  the  population  of 
Marseilles  in  1720,  the  quarantine  regulations  of  that 
port  had  been  exceedingly  rigorous,  and  were  but  little 
relaxed,  even  for  the  most  august  personages.  As  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  came  from  a  country  in  which  an  epidemic  was  then 
prevalent,  the  sanitary  committee  had  decided  that  she  and  her 
suite  must  not  be  allowed  to  enter  the  town  until  they  had 
undergone  ten  days'  quarantine  in  the  lazaretto,  and  that  no 
one  should  be  allowed  to  approach  nearer  to  the  Christina  than 
the  regulations  prescribed. 

However,  as  soon  as  the  frigate  entered  the  roadstead,  a 
swarm  of  light  craft,  adorned  with  flowers  and  white  flags,  put 
off  from  the  shore  and  rowed  out  as  far  as  they  were  permitted. 
This  flotilla  contained  the  Due  d'Havre^  who  had  been  chosen  by 
Louis  XVIII.  to  receive  the  precious  person  of  his  new  niece  from 
the  Prince  of  San  Nicandro,  the  Baron  de  Damas,  commandant 
of  Marseilles,  the  prefect,  the  mayor  and  the  other  municipal 
authorities,  part  of  the  Household  of  the  princess,  who  had  been 
sent  to  Marseilles  to  await  the  arrival  of  their  future  mistress,1 

1  The  members  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  Household  who  had  been  sent  to 
Marseilles  were :  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  dame  d'honneitr ;  the  Comtesse  de  la 
Ferronays,  dame  cPatours ;  the  Due  de  Levis,  chevalier  d'honneitr ;   the  Comte  de 

36 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  37 

and  a  great  number  of  other  persons,  all  eager  to  catch  even  a 
distant  glimpse  of  the  new  arrival.  The  duke  and  the  baron 
addressed  their  compliments  to  the  princess  through  a  speaking 
trumpet,  and  her  Royal  Highness  bowed  her  acknowledgments  of 
the  acclamations  which  greeted  her  from  the  window  of  a  cabin 
on  the  frigate's  poop. 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  her  suite  then  proceeded  to  the 
lazaretto,  the  spectators  "  following  her  with  eyes  and  hearts." 
Here  she  found  her  dame  datours,  the  Comtesse  de  la  Ferronays 
who,  the  moment  the  princess's  arrival  had  been  signalled, 
instead  of  embarking  with  the  rest  of  the  Household,  had  set 
out  for  the  lazaretto,  with  the  intention  of  sharing  her  mistress's 
quarantine.  The  Vicomtesse  (afterwards  the  Duchesse  de 
Gontaut)  attributes  Madame  de  la  Ferronays's  action  to  "the 
intention  of  seeking  a  natural  occasion  to  acquaint  the  princess 
with  the  noble  sentiments,  the  good  heart,  and  the  intelligence 
of  Monseigneur  [the  Due  de  Berry],  and  thus  to  teach  her  to 
love  him  in  advance."  l  But,  whatever  the  lady's  motive  may 
have  been,  her  conduct  was  a  grave  breach  of  etiquette,  since 
she  had  consulted  neither  the  Due  de  Berry  nor  the  Duchesse 
de  Reggio,  the  head  of  the  princess's  Household.  Every  one, 
we  are  told,  was  inexpressibly  shocked,  and  the  Due  de  Reggio 
subsequently  complained  bitterly  to  the  King  of  the  affront 
which  had  been  put  upon  his  wife,  to  whom,  as  dame  d'honneur, 
alone  belonged  the  privilege  which  Madame  de  la  Ferronays 
had  so  impudently  usurped. 

As  soon  as  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  reached  the  lazaretto, 

Mesnard,  first  equerry,  and  two  of  her  six  ladies-in-waiting,  the  Vicomtesse  (after- 
wards the  Duchesse)  de  Gontaut  and  the  Vicomtesse  de  Bouille.  The  other  ladies- 
in-waiting,  Mesdames  d'Hautefort,  de  Bethisy,  de  Lauriston,  and  de  Gourges,  were 
to  join  their  mistress  en  route.  Madame  de  Gontaut,  in  her  Memoires,  has  left  an 
amusing  account  of  her  journey  to  the  South.  She  and  Madame  de  Bouille,  a  pretty 
and  vivacious  Creole,  travelled  in  the  same  carriage  that  had  brought  Napoleon 
from  Waterloo  to  Paris  :  "  I  was  told  that,  by  way  of  distraction,  I  might  find 
the  mysterious  hiding-places  in  which  the  Emperor  used  to  carry  his  despatches, 
treasures,  and  so  forth.  This  search  served  to  amuse  me  during  the  monotony  of 
the  journey ;  but,  catching  sight  of  one  of  the  principal  springs,  I  had  the  unfortunate 
notion  of  pressing  it,  and  on  the  instant  a  board  rose  up  and  carried  me  with  it.  I 
found  myself  then  lying  on  a  hard,  quilted,  narrow  mattress,  and  I  rolled  about,  in 
despair,  all  one  night  on  this  poverty-stricken  bed  of  the  great  Emperor,  since  for 
several  hours  I  was  unable  to  discover  the  secret  spring  which  could  deliver  me  from 
this  perilous  position,  and  I  did  not  dare  to  call  a  halt  to  the  column  of  travellers 
who  accompanied  us." 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


38  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

she  sent  to  request  her  Household  to  come  there.  "We  saw 
her,"  writes  Madame  de  Gontaut,  "  through  a  grating,  in  a  little 
parlour,  where  we  presented  ourselves  every  day.  We  thought 
Madame  gracious,  agreeable,  good,  kindly,  and  gay ;  in  a  word, 
we  were  charmed  with  her.  The  remarkable  gentleness  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Reggio  pleased  her  at  once.  Madame  had  learned, 
from  the  Due  d'Havre,  the  sacrifice  I  had  made  in  leaving  my 
children  to  come  to  her,  and  she  was  continually  talking  to  me 
about  it.  Desiring  to  know  what  interested  each  of  the  persons 
who  were  to  be  in  attendance  on  her,  she  encouraged  them  to 
talk  about  themselves,  and,  with  a  princely  memory,  forgot 
nothing.     This  we  thought  very  amiable."  * 

The  Duchesse  de  Reggio  had  been  charged  with  a  letter 
from  the  Due  de  Berry  for  his  young  wife.     It  was  as  follows  : 

"  Paris,  io  May,  1816. 
"  I  take  advantage,  Madame,  of  the  departure  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Reggio,  to  tell  you  how  deeply  your  second  letter  has  touched 
me:  that  letter  you  wrote  on  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony 
by  which  you  confided  your  destiny  into  my  hands.  I  am 
entrusted  with  your  happiness,  and  it  shall  be  the  sweet  and 
constant  preoccupation  of  my  life.  I  have  seen  with  regret  the 
delay  in  your  departure  from  Naples  ;  the  quarantine  to  which 
you  will  be  obliged  to  submit,  although  curtailed  as  far  as 
possible,  compels  me  to  conclude  that  I  shall  not  have  the 
happiness  of  seeing  you  until  the  early  days  of  next  month. 
How  much  do  I  regret  the  impossibility  of  going  myself  to 
Naples  to  meet  you  !  But  we  must  submit  to  the  wishes  of  our 
parents,  and,  as  the  first  of  subjects,  we  owe  them  an  example 
of  obedience.  All  France  awaits  you  with  the  liveliest  im- 
patience, and  I  more  than  any  one.  I  recommend  to  you  the 
Duchesse  de  Reggio,  who,  notwithstanding  her  delicate  health, 
insisted  on  going  [to  Marseilles].  She  deems  herself  very  happy 
at  being  able  to  begin  her  duties  with  you. 

"  Adieu,  Madame,  I  am  impatient  to  receive  a  letter  from  your 
Royal  Highness  dated  in  France.  The  wind,  which  is  blowing 
violently,  makes  me  tremble. 

"Charles  Ferdinand" 

The  princess  also  received  a  letter  from  Louis  XVIII.,  who 

1  Mimoires. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  39 

seems  to  have  thought  it  necessary  to  apologize  for  the  incon- 
venience to  which  she  was  being  subjected. 

"You  make  your  entry  into  France  through  a  kind  of 
prison,"  he  writes,  "but  it  is  very  necessary  to  pay  a  tribute 
to  the  times  in  which  we  live,  and  I  hope  that  this  will  be  the 
only  one.  If  my  impatience  has  been  opposed  by  the  severity 
of  the  officers  of  health,  and,  if  my  heart  murmurs  against  it,  my 
reason  imposes  silence  upon  me  and  tells  me  that  those  who 
are  raised  above  others  must  give  an  example  of  submission  to 
the  regulations.  Adieu,  my  dear  niece,  in  ten  days'  time  I  shall 
love  Fontainebleau  well  ;  in  the  meanwhile,  I  embrace  you  most 
affectionately." 

Everything  possible  was  done  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  the 
princess's  period  of  isolation.  Regattas  were  organised  for  her 
amusement ;  she  was  taken  out  fishing,  and,  when  night  fell, 
musicians  rowed  out  to  the  lazaretto  to  serenade  her.  On  May 
23,  she  went  for  a  sail  in  a  magnificently-decorated  yawl,  which 
Admiral  de  Missiessy,  who  commanded  at  Toulon,  had  placed 
at  her  disposal.  The  yawl  entered  the  harbour,  care  being  taken 
not  to  approach  any  of  the  vessels  at  anchor  there,  and  to  keep 
at  some  distance  from  the  shore,  where  a  dense  crowd  of  curious 
and  enthusiastic  people  speedily  assembled,  clamouring  for  boats 
to  enable  them  to  obtain  a  nearer  view  of  the  princess.  The 
young  lady,  the  Journal  administratif  de  Marseille  informs  us, 
"  was  dressed  this  day  with  the  most  elegant  simplicity.  She 
wore  a  gown  of  rose-coloured  levantine,  cut  heart-shaped  and 
trimmed  with  tulle ;  a  little  cashmere  shawl  was  thrown  negli- 
gently about  her  shoulders  ;  and  a  large  white  straw  hat  trimmed 
with  a  wreath  of  lilies  covered  her  beautiful  hair,  and  was  tied 
with  a  ribbon  of  the  same  colour.  The  princess,  resting  one 
hand  on  the  gallery  which  separated  her  from  the  rowers,  con- 
templated with  emotion  this  people  whom  her  charming 
appearance  was  transporting  with  joy.  'Ah!'  she  said  to  the 
members  of  her  suite  who  were  in  the  yawl,  '  I  am  not  perhaps 
very  easily  moved  to  tears,  but  to-day  I  must  let  them  flow.' " 

The  princess  was  so  pleased  with  the  enthusiasm  which  her 
appearance  excited,  that  she  asked  that  the  excursion  should 
be  repeated  the  following  day,  "  and  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun 
were  just  lighting  the  harbour  when  there  rose  and  appeared 


40  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

that  young  star  so  earnestly  desired,  dressed  in  blue  with  a 
toque  of  white  taffeta  crowned  with  three  white  feathers,  and 
an  amaranth  shawl."  The  writer  adds  that  the  "young  star" 
seemed  to  be  greatly  moved  by  the  joy  which  her  admirers 
manifested.1 

On  the  evening  of  the  25th,  the  orchestra  of  the  Grand- 
Theatre,  reinforced  by  several  distinguished  amateurs,  gave  a 
concert  to  the  princess  in  front  of  the  lazaretto,  in  a  large  tent 
which  had  been  erected  there.  This  tent  was  divided  by  a 
partition,  in  which  a  grating  had  been  made,  the  artistes  and 
the  public  occupying  one  portion,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
and  her  suite  the  other. 

Her  ten  days'  quarantine  terminated,  on  May  30  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  made  her  official  entry  into  Marseilles.  At 
ten  o'clock,  she  left  the  lazaretto,  in  a  gilded  boat  belonging 
to  the  Royal  Navy,  rowed  by  four-and-twenty  sailors,  dressed 
in  white  satin  with  scarves  of  blue  and  gold.  The  princess  sat 
beneath  a  canopy  of  crimson  velvet  surmounted  by  an  immense 
crown,  while  above  it  the  royal  standard  waved  gently  in  the 
breeze.  Through  the  midst  of  the  vessels,  gay  with  verdure 
and  bunting,  with  which  the  port  was  filled,  she  was  rowed 
to  the  landing-stage  of  the  Place  de  l'Hotel  de  Ville.  The 
quays  and  the  adjoining  streets,  the  windows,  and  the  flat  roofs 
of  the  houses  were  thronged  with  spectators  ;  the  bells  rang 
out  a  joyful  peal  ;  the  cannon  of  the  forts  and  of  the  warships 
in  the  harbour  thundered  forth  their  welcome  ;  the  drums  beat 
to  quarters  ;  "  the  acclamations  rose  to  heaven."  "  All  eyes," 
writes  an  enthusiastic  Legitimist  historian,  "  were  fixed  on  the 
same  point ;  all  hearts  echoed  the  same  sentiment ;  all  minds 
were  filled  with  the  same  idea."  2 

Passing  through  a  double  line  of  troops,  the  princess  reached 
the  Hotel  de  Ville,  where  the  ceremony  of  her  delivery  to  the 
representative  of  Louis  XVIII.  was  to  take  place.  On  the 
threshold,  the  Due  de  Levis,  her  chevalier  d'honneur,  began  to 
compliment  in  her  mother-tongue.  "  Speak  in  French,  Monsieur 
le  Due,"  said  she,  with  a  smile  ;  "I  no  longer  know  any  other 
language."  3 

1  Journal  administratif  de  Marseille^    May   27,    1816,   cited   in    le    Moniteur, 
June  13,  1816. 

2  Nettement. 

3  Nettement.     Marie  Antoinette  had  used  almost  identically  the  same  words  on 
her  entry  into  Strasbourg,  forty-six  years  before. 


LOUIS   XVIII,    KING    OF    FRANCE 

FROM    AN    ENGRAVING    BY    l>.  ANDOUIN,    AFTER   THE    DRAWING    BY   P.  BOUILLON 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  41 

In  accordance  with  diplomatic  usage,  the  Hotel  de  Ville 
had,  by  a  special  act,  been  declared  neutral  territory.  The 
apartments  to  the  right  of  the  great  hall  had  been  prepared 
for  the  reception  of  the  princess,  her  Neapolitan  suite,  and  the 
Prince  of  San  Nicandro,  Ambassador  of  the  King  of  the  Two 
Sicilies.  The  apartments  on  the  left  were  considered  French 
ground,  and  in  these  were  assembled  the  Due  d'Havre, 
Ambassador  of  Louis  XVIII.  ;  the  Marquis  de  Rochemore, 
who  was  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  Master  of  the  Ceremonies ;  the 
Duchesse  de  Reggio,  the  Comtcsse  de  la  Ferronays,  Mesdames 
de  Bouill£  and  de  Gontaut,  the  Due  de  Levis,  the  Comte  de 
Mesnard,  and  the  municipal  authorities  of  Marseilles.  On  the 
Neapolitan  side  of  the  hall,  the  flag  of  the  Two  Sicilies  had 
been  hoisted,  and  a  detachment  of  Ferdinand  I.'s  guards,  which 
had  accompanied  the  princess  from  Naples,  was  drawn  up 
beneath  it.  On  the  French  side,  a  similar  number  of  the 
Gardes  du  corps,  in  their  brilliant  uniforms,  stood  at  attention 
beneath  the  lilies  of  France. 

A  table  covered  with  a  cloth  of  green  velvet  fringed  with 
gold  occupied  the  centre  of  the  hall.  The  princess  advanced 
and  sat  down  at  the  middle  of  the  table,  on  the  Neapolitan  side, 
with  the  Prince  of  San  Nicandro  on  her  right  ;  while  the 
Comtesse  de  la  Tour  and  the  rest  of  her  Neapolitan  suite  stood 
a  little  behind  her  on  her  left.  At  the  same  time,  the  Due 
d'Havr£,  the  princess's  French  Household,  and  the  municipal 
authorities  entered  from  the  left,  and  ranged  themselves  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  table,  under  the  direction  of  the  Marquis  de 
Rochemore. 

The  delivery  of  the  princess  then  took  place,  in  accordance 
with  the  protocol  of  royal  alliances.  After  the  official  docu- 
ments had  been  read  and  signed,  and  complimentary  speeches 
exchanged,  Caroline  rose  and  bade  farewell  to  her  Neapolitan 
entourage,  "  all  of  whom  threw  themselves  upon  their  knees 
and  kissed  with  respect  and  emotion  the  hands  which  she 
extended  to  them."  1  Then  the  Due  d'Havre  came  forward, 
and  the  Prince  of  San  Nicandro,  taking  the  princess  by  the  hand, 
consigned  her  to  the  care  of  the  representative  of  his  Most 
Christian  Majesty,  who  informed  her  Royal  Highness  that 
France  claimed  her  and  conducted  her  to  the  other  side  of  the 
table.     In   three  steps  Caroline   had  become  a  Frenchwoman, 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


42  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

and  a  simultaneous  discharge  of  the  cannon  of  the  forts,  the 
ramparts,  and  the  warships  in  the  harbour  at  once  proclaimed 
the  joyful  fact  to  the  expectant  multitude  outside. 

Conducted  by  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  and  followed  by  the 
other  ladies  of  her  new  Household,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  with- 
drew to  the  apartments  which  had  been  prepared  for  her,  where 
Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  in  her  capacity  as  dame  d'atours, 
presented  her  with  the  trousseau  and  the  magnificent  corbeille 
sent  her  by  the  King,  which  contained  part  of  the  jewels  which 
his  Majesty  had  engaged  to  provide  in  the  marriage-contract. 
The  princess  made  her  selection  from  the  gowns  and  trinkets 
spread  out  before  her  delighted  eyes,  and  was  then,  in 
conformity  with  the  rules  of  etiquette,  divested  of  all  her 
Neapolitan  garments,  even  to  her  chemise  and  stockings,  which 
were  replaced  by  those  of  French  manufacture.  This  complete 
change  of  attire  was,  of  course,  intended  to  be  symbolical  of  her 
change  of  country. 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  a  radiant  vision  in  a  sumptuous 
toilette  ablaze  with  diamonds,  descended  the  steps  of  the  Hotel 
de  Ville,  and,  having  acknowledged  the  compliments  of  the 
Baron  de  Damas  and  the  Prefect  of  the  Department  of  the 
Bouches-du-Rhone,  was  escorted  to  the  quay,  where  she 
embarked  in  a  boat  belonging  to  the  merchant  marine  and 
commanded  by  the  captain  of  the  port.  Gaily-attired  oarsmen 
rowed  her  to  the  Quai  de  Monsieur,  facing  the  Cannebiere, 
where  the  mayor  was  waiting  to  receive  her.  As  she  stepped 
on  shore,  the  church-bells  broke  out  again,  and  another  salute 
was  fired. 

The  mayor,  after  haranguing  the  princess  in  that  hyperbolical 
language  in  which  civic  dignitaries  in  all  ages  seem  to  have 
taken  so  much  pleasure,  conducted  her  to  a  carriage,  which  she 
entered  with  Mesdames  de  Reggio  and  de  la  Ferronays,  and 
was  driven,  by  way  of  the  Cannebiere  and  the  Cours,  to 
the  cathedral.  Here  she  was  received  by  the  clergy,  who 
offered  her  holy  water,  and  then  escorted  her  in  procession 
into  the  church,  where,  after  the  celebration  of  Mass,  a  Te 
Deum  was  sung.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  service,  the  duchess 
re-entered  her  carriage  and  drove  to  the  Prefecture,  by  a  route 
which  enabled  her  to  traverse  the  most  popular  streets  of  the 
town.  At  the  Prefecture,  thirty  young  girls  belonging  to  the 
first   families   of   Marseilles,    dressed    in   white,    were   waiting 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  43 

to  present  her  with  flowers.  She  dined  au  grand  convert,  and 
then  held  a  reception  ;  and  the  eventful  day  concluded  with  the 
illumination  of  the  whole  city,  a  grand  display  of  fireworks,  and 
a  gala  performance  at  the  theatre,  where  the  appearance  of  the 
princess  was  hailed  with  rapturous  applause. 

"  Enjoy  your  triumphs,  Madame  !  "  exclaims  an  historian  of 
the  princess.  "  Look  well  at  those  shores  where  a  magnificent 
reception  awaits  you,  where  every  one  swears  devotion  and  fidelity, 
where  you  make  your  appearance  like  a  queen,  and  almost  like  a 
kind  of  divinity !  Look  well  at  those  flag-bedecked  shores  ! 
You  will  return  to  them  again  in  less  than  sixteen  years.  You 
will  return,  but  in  a  very  different  fashion  !  .  .  .  How  the  bells, 
how  the  trumpets,  how  the  acclamations  resound  to-day  !  Why 
think  of  the  future  ?  Young  and  radiant  princess,  be  happy 
while  you  may !  "  1 

The  princess  was  certainly  resolved  to  be  happy  and  to  make 
others  happy  as  well.  Learning  that  Toulon  had  been  much 
disappointed  that  Marseilles  should  have  been  preferred  as  the 
port  which  was  to  have  the  honour  of  welcoming  her,  she 
had  gladly  accepted  an  invitation  to  visit  it.  Accordingly,  early 
on  the  following  morning,  notwithstanding  the  fatigue  which 
the  ceremonies  of  the  previous  day  must  have  occasioned  her, 
she  drove  thither,  and  was  received  with  almost  frenzied 
enthusiasm,  the  people  insisting  on  taking  the  horses  from  her 
carriage  and  drawing  it  themselves.  She  reviewed  the  National 
Guard  ;  attended  a  splendid  banquet  given  in  her  honour,  by 
Admiral  de  Missiessy,  on  board  the  Royal  Louis,  the  largest 
ship  in  the  Mediterranean  squadron  ;  witnessed  a  mimic  naval 
combat,  and  visited  the  arsenals  ;  and  in  the  evening  of  June  1 
returned  to  Marseilles,  very  much  delighted  with  her  reception. 

"  I  arrived  yesterday  evening  from  Toulon,"  she  writes  to  the 
Due  de  Berry,  "  where  every  instant  was  employed  in  receiving 
homages  and  festivities  both  by  land  and  sea.  The  whole 
town  was  decorated,  adorned  with  emblems  and  allegorical 
inscriptions.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  enthusiasm  of 
these  good  inhabitants  of  Provence  ;  they  spoil  me  ;  they  deeply 
move  my  heart  by  their  repeated  expressions  of  love  for  the 
King  and  all  his  family.  At  the  same  time,  they  have  the  tact 
to  join  with  them  applause  for  my  Neapolitan  relatives.      Is  not 

1  Imbert  de  Saiat-Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de  Louis  XVIII. 


44  A  PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

that  charming  ?  .  .  .  I  was  conducted  through  the  arsenals. 
The  land  arsenal,  which  was  not  in  existence  four  months  ago,  is 
now  in  a  condition  to  arm  thirty  thousand  men.  This  is  due  to 
the  indefatigable  energy  of  the  colonel  in  charge  of  it,  whose  name 
is  Laferriere.  In  every  way,  this  little  journey  has  interested 
me.  Nowhere,  I  conceive,  could  one  obtain  a  juster  idea  of  the 
resources  and  greatness  of  France  than  in  visiting  this  beautiful 
port.  If  it  produces  this  effect  upon  me,  who  understand 
nothing  about  it,  what  must  it  produce  upon  well-informed 
persons  ?  In  thirteen  days,  Monseigneur,  I  shall  see  you  and  shall 
judge  for  myself  all  the  good  that  I  hear  of  your  heart  and 
mind,  and  shall  repeat  to  you  that  I  am  for  life  your  faithful 
and  affectionate 

"  Caroline  " 

As  the  time  for  their  meeting  approached,  the  letters  of  the 
Due  de  Berry  grow  more  frequent  and  more  tender. 

"  You  have  already,"  he  writes,  "  gained  the  hearts  of  those 
who  have  only  caught  a  glimpse  of  you.  Your  intelligence,  your 
graces,  your  charming  animation,  will  have  a  great  success  with  us 
French,  who  love  you  already  before  knowing  you.  With  what 
impatience  I  await  you  !  What  pleasure  I  shall  find  in  making 
you  happy  !  I  think  with  sorrow  that  I  must  still  wait  three 
weeks.  I  hunt  every  week  in  the  Forest  of  Fontainebleau,  in 
the  place  where  I  shall  see  you  for  the  first  time,  and  my  heart 
beats  as  I  pass  it.  Caroline,  my  friend,  amiable  child,  whose 
happiness  must  be  my  work,  rest  assured  that  I  shall  do  every- 
thing which  will  depend  upon  me !  My  heart  is  good,  I  am 
able  to  say,  and  I  shall  deserve  thy  confidence.  Pardon,  dear 
friend,  if  already  I  address  thee  in  the  second  person  singular. 
But  the  '  you  '  is  too  cold.  Adieu,  my  dear  little  wife.  I  have 
only  time  to  embrace  thee  most  affectionately.  Reply  to  me 
in  the  same  terms." 

And  again  : 

"  I  fear  that  the  letter  which  I  wrote  you  the  day  before 
yesterday,  my  very  dear  friend,  has  not  appeared  to  you  very 
sensible,  but  all  that  I  was  told  has  so  intoxicated  me  that 
I  only  knew  that  I  felt  very  deeply  what  I  have  perhaps 
expressed  very  badly.     Your  amiable  letter  has  come  to  finish 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  45 

turning  my  head,  and,  if  you  continue  like  this,  it  will  be 
necessary  for  me  to  be  placed  under  restraint.  I  count  the 
days,  and  I  find  them  still  an  enormous  quantity." 

And  in  a  third  letter  : 

"  The  '  you  '  always  causes  me  pain  ;  with  what  pleasure  shall 
I  say  :  '  I  love  thee  ! '  With  what  delight  shall  I  await  the 
answer !  I  hope  that  it  will  be  the  same  when  you  know  me. 
I  am  always  frightened  by  my  thirty-eight  years,  and  I  know 
that  at  seventeen  I  thought  those  who  were  approaching  forty 
very  old.  I  do  not  flatter  myself  that  I  shall  inspire  thee  with 
love,  but  with  that  sentiment  so  tender,  stronger  than  friendship, 
that  sweet  confidence  which  I  wish  to  see  come  spontaneously. 

"  Adieu,  very  dear  friend  ;  still  fifteen  long  days  more.  I 
embrace  thee  ;  I  kiss  the  hands  of  my  wife,  as  I  love  her  already 
with  all  my  heart." 

Far  from  being  displeased  by  the  increasing  ardour  of  the 
duke's  letters,  the  young  princess  was  much  moved  by  them, 
and  hastened  to  assure  the  writer  that  he  would  find  her  only 
too  ready  to  respond  to  the  sentiments  with  which  she  appeared 
to  have  inspired  him. 

"  I  have  just  received  thy  letter  of  the  26th,  my  dear  friend," 
she  writes  in  answer  to  the  epistle  in  which  he  had  begged 
permission  to  address  her  in  the  second  person  singular.  "  It  is 
already  a  great  rapprochement,  which  I  much  enjoy,  as  well  as 
the  expressions  which  it  contains.  I  reply  to  it  in  the  same 
fashion,  with  the  most  complete  abandon  and  confidence.  Yes, 
my  friend,  be  sure  that  on  my  side  there  will  never  be  any 
coldness  ;  my  object  is,  and  always  will  be,  to  prove  my  tender 
affection.  I  hope  to  receive  further  pledges  of  thine  before 
I  reach  Fontainebleau.  In  the  meanwhile,  I  embrace  thee  and 
am  for  life, 

"  Thy  Caroline  " 

On  June  2,  the  princess  drove  to  the  cathedral  to  hear  Mass, 
and  then  proceeded  to  the  Plain  of  Saint-Michel,  where  she 
reviewed  the  National  Guard  and  the  garrison  of  Marseilles. 
She  returned  to  the  Prefecture  to  dine,  and,  after  dinner,  was 


46  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

driven  through  the  principal  streets  of  the  town.  In  the  evening, 
she  held  a  reception,  at  which  all  the  principal  citizens  and  their 
wives  and  daughters  had  the  honour  of  being  presented  to  her. 

The  following  day,  after  making  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine 
of  Notre-Dame  de  la  Garde,  the  protectress  of  sailors,  in  fulfil- 
ment of  a  vow  which  she  had  made  before  leaving  Naples,1  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  quitted  Marseilles,  to  begin  her  journey  to 
Fontainebleau,  where  on  the  15th  she  was  to  be  met  by  Louis 
XVI 1 1.,  her  husband,  and  the  Royal  Family.  Her  entry  into 
Paris  was  to  take  place  on  the  following  day,  and  the  marriage 
ceremony  at  Notre-Dame  on  the  17th. 

Aix,  the  old  seat  of  the  Parlement  of  Provence,  was  the  first 
stage,  where  she  assisted  at  the  procession  of  the  Fete-Dieu, 
founded  by  King  Rene  in  1448,  of  which  the  Duchesse  de 
Gontaut  has  left  us  an  interesting  account  in  her  Mhnoires  : 

"  This  festival  was  intended  to  represent  the  triumph  of 
the  Christian  religion  over  idolatry,  by  means  of  allegorical 
personages  representing  the  gods  of  Paganism,  whom  the 
presence  of  the  Saviour  compels  to  return  to  hell.  At  the 
head  of  the  procession,  we  saw  Mercury,  the  goddess  of  the 
night ;  Pluto,  surrounded  by  a  multitude  of  demons ;  Diana, 
Cupid,  Venus,  Mars,  walking  one  after  another  ;  then  lepers, 
dancers,  drummers.  After  the  mythological  divinities  came 
biblical  personages :  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  on  her  way  to  visit 
the  great  Solomon ;  Moses,  bearing  the  tables  of  the  Law,  and 
striving  to  bring  back  to  the  worship  of  the  true  God  the  Jews, 

1  "  Relative  to  the  voyage  of  the  princess  from  Naples  to  Marseilles,  here  is  an 
anecdote  for  the  authenticity  of  which  we  are  able  to  vouch  : 

"  A  few  days  before  her  departure,  her  Royal  Highness  received  a  stamped  packet 
from  Marseilles,  in  which  she  found  a  little  image  of  Notre-Dame  de  la  Garde. 
The  letter  which  accompanied  this  singular  present  informed  the  princess  that  Notre- 
Dame  de  la  Garde,  object  of  the  peculiar  veneration  of  the  Marseillaise  mariners,  and 
their  protectress,  would,  owing  to  the  intercession  of  the  Provencaux.  protect  her 
Royal  Highness  from  all  harm  during  the  voyage,  provided  that  sh$  carried  the  little 
image  about  her,  which  she  did  not  fail  to  do.  And  it  happened,  owing  to  a  very 
thick  fog,  in  the  channel  between  the  Isle  of  Elba  and  the  coast  of  Fiume,  that  the 
frigate  was  running  under  full  sail  upon  the  reefs  which  border  that  island,  when, 
happily,  it  altered  its  course.  Superior  minds  may  find  in  this  a  subject  for  ill-timed 
pleasantry.  For  ourselves,  we  can  only  applaud  the  pious  sentiments  of  the  commander 
of  the  Neapolitan  frigate  [Captain  Barone],  who,  penetrated  by  gratitude  to  the  Holy 
Virgin,  begged  her  Royal  Highness,  on  their  arrival,  to  give  him  the  precious  image. 
The  princess  deigned  to  accord  the  captain  this  signal  favour,  but  she  immediately 
procured  another  image,  together  with  the  little  book  of  prayers." — yotirnal 
administrate 'de  Marseille,  May  27,  1816. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  47 

who  mock  at  him  and  dance  round  a  paste-board  golden  calf. 
After  the  Jews  came  the  Apostles,  with  the  perfidious  Judas  at 
their  head,  holding  in  his  hand  a  purse  containing  the  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,  the  price  of  his  treason.  To  punish  his  infamy, 
all  the  other  Apostles  were  beating  him  over  the  head  with 
pieces  of  wood.  The  Abbe  of  Youth,  the  King  of  the  Basoche, 
and  the  Prince  of  Love  preceded  the  canopy  covering  the  Holy 
Sacrament,  which  was  followed  by  an  immense  number  of  priests 
in  different  costumes.  Death  closed  the  cortege.  All  the  bells 
of  the  city  were  ringing  while  the  procession  lasted." 

From  Aix  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  proceeded  to  Orange,  where 
she  visited  the  Roman  Theatre  and  the  Arch  of  Marius  ;  thence 
by  Montelimart,  Vienne,  and  Valence,  and  early  in  the  afternoon 
of  June  8  arrived  at  Lyons. 

The  famous  city,  which  had  suffered  so  cruelly  for  its  loyalty 
to  the  Bourbons  during  the  Revolution,  had  prepared  for  the 
young  princess  a  magnificent  reception.  Under  a  triumphal 
arch  which  had  been  erected  in  the  Place  de  la  Charite  one 
hundred  and  thirty  young  girls  were  waiting  to  greet  her  ;  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  presented  her  with  a  corbeille  containing 
the  most  beautiful  products  of  the  silk  manufactories  ; x  and  the 
theatre  gave  a  gala  performance,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  a 
shower  of  lilies  descended  upon  the  spectators,  and  a  dove  came 
to  place  a  crown  on  the  duchess's  head. 

At  Lyons,  where  she  remained  for  three  days,  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  was  joined  by  the  Prince  of  Castelcicala,  the  Neapoli- 
tan Ambassador  at  the  French  Court,  who  was  the  bearer  of  a 
very  charming  letter  from  Louis  XVIII.: 

u  I  shall  certainly  not  permit,  my  dear  niece,  the  Prince 
Castelcicala,  that  good  and  excellent  servant  of  all  our  family, 
to  leave  without  giving  him  a  line  for  you.  If  the  happiness  of 
seeing  you  before  any  of  us  was  not  so  surely  due  to  his  tender 
and  faithful  attachment,  I  should  be  jealous  of  him  ;  but  patience  ! 
my  turn  will  come.  Meantime,  I  am  not  without  pleasures.  I 
have  frequently  that  of  hearing  news  of  you,  of  learning  of  your 

1  "  The  princess  in  accepting  this  corbeille,  with  charming  tact,  removed  the  shawl 
which  she  was  wearing  and  replaced  it  by  one  of  those  presented  to  her.  She,  at  the 
same  time,  selected  one  of  the  stuffs,  which  she  intended  to  have  made  into  a  gown 
for  the  play  which  she  had  consented  to  attend  in  the  evening." — Moniteur, 
June  18,  1816. 


48  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

successes,  and  of  enjoying  them.  There  are  degrees  in  this  enjoy- 
ment. When  I  am  told  that  people  consider  that  you  have  an 
agreeable  face,  I  say  so  much  the  better,  without  being  too  much 
moved  ;  but  when  I  learn  that  those  who  approach  near  to  you 
find  you  amiable,  kind,  and  affable,  it  is  then  that  I  experience  a 
real  joy.  Exterior  charms  pass  away  very  quickly  ;  but  those 
which  belong  to  the  soul,  to  the  mind,  to  the  character,  are  last- 
ing, and  can  only  go  on  increasing.  Such  will  be,  I  do  more 
than  hope,  your  portion.  Adieu,  my  dear  niece,  I  embrace  you 
most  affectionately. 

"  Louis  " 

Continuing  her  triumphal  progress,  through  Moulins,  the 
ancient  capital  of  the  Dukes  of  Bourbon  ;  through  the  muslin- 
draped  streets  of  Tarare; l  through  Montargis,  where,  one  hundred 
and  twenty  years  earlier,  le  Grand  Monarque  and  his  Court  had 
come  to  welcome  the  little  Marie  Adelaide  of  Savoy,  the  most 
charming  of  all  the  princesses  whom  Italy  has  given  to  France, 
on  Friday,  the  14th,  Caroline  reached  Nemours,  the  last 
stage  before  Fontainebleau,  her  carriage  overflowing  with 
the  flowers  that  had  been  presented  to  her  on  the  way.  At 
Moulins,  her  suite  had  been  reinforced  by  Mesdamesd'Hautefort 
and  de  Bethisy,  and  at  Nemours  she  found  her  two  remaining 
ladies-in-waiting,  Mesdames  de  Lauriston  and  de  Gourgues,  so 
that  her  Household  was  now  complete.  The  Due  de  la  Chatre, 
First  Gentleman  of  the  Chamber  to  Louis  XVIII.,  and  the  Dues 
de  Maille  and  de  Damas  were  also  awaiting  her,  and  conducted 
her  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  where  she  passed  the  night. 

Before  retiring,  however,  she  had  the  satisfaction  of 
receiving  another  and  final  letter  from  the  Due  de  Berry,  who 
had  been  bombarding  her  with  billets-doux  all  the  way  from 
Marseilles,  their  tone  growing  more  and  more  inflammatory  as 
the  distance  between  the  impatient  prince  and  his  "  chere  petite 
femme"  diminished. 

"  My  heart  is  beating,"  he  writes,  "  and  it  will  beat  much 
faster  to-morrow  when  my  lips  will  press  thy  pretty  cheeks. 
.  .  .  When  I  think  that  thou  art  to-day  within  four  leagues 
of  me   and   that    I    cannot   go   to   see   thee,    it   enrages   me ! 

1  The  manufacture  of  muslin  was  then,  as  it  is  to-day,  the  principal  industry  of 
Tarare. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  49 

How  I  wish  that  Thursday  were  here  and  that  I  could  be  at 
last  alone  with  thee  !  ...  No  ;  do  not  delay  in  sending  me  an 
answer,  I  entreat  thee.  Till  to-morrow,  dear  friend ;  while 
awaiting  the  end  of  this  long  day,  receive  the  assurance  of  the 
tender  attachment  of 

"Thy  Charles" 

This  ardent  epistle  was  written  from  Fontainebleau,  where 
the  whole  Royal  Family  were  now  assembled.  Monsieur  and  the 
Due  and  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  had  left  Paris  on  the  nth,  the 
Due  de  Berry  at  five  o'clock  on  the  following  morning, 'and 
Louis  XVIII.  early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day. 
Talleyrand,  the  Due  de  Mouchy,  and  the  Due  de  la  Chatre,  by 
virtue  of  their  respective  offices  of  Grand  Chamberlain,  Captain 
of  the  Guards,  and  First  Gentleman  of  the  Chamber  on  duty 
that  year,  occupied  seats  in  the  King's  carriage  ;  but,  on 
arriving  at  Fontainebleau,  the  last-named  nobleman  had  hurried 
on  to  Nemours  to  receive  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.1  On  the 
evening  of  the  14th,  his  Majesty  dined  au  grand  convey t  in  the 
Salle  des  Fetes  decorated  by  Primaticcio's  matchless  frescoes, 
while  an  endless  procession  of  his  loyal  subjects  defiled  round 
the  table,  and  the  chapel  band  played  Vive  Henri  IV.  and 
Cliarmante  Gabrielle. 

The  spot  selected  for  the  meeting  of  the  Royal  Family  and 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  the  cross-roads  of  the  Croix  de  Saint- 
Herem,  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  forest,  about  a  league  from 
Fontainebleau.  It  was  the  same  place  at  which,  nearly  twelve 
years  before  (November  25,  1804),  Napoleon  had  received 
Pius  VII.,  when  that  Pontiff  had  come  to  France  to  crown  him 
Emperor  ;  and,  by  a  really  remarkable  coincidence,  Talleyrand, 
who  had  then  been  in  attendance  on  the  Emperor  as  Grand 
Chamberlain,  was  now  present  in  the  same  capacity  to 
Louis  XVIII.  Whether  Bonaparte  or  Bourbon  occupied  the 
throne  of  France,  the  star  of  the  ex-Bishop  of  Autun  was  proof 
against  all  vicissitudes  ! 

On  the  morning  of  the  15  th,  after  hearing  Mass,  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  dressed  in  white  and  wearing  a  diadem  of  pearls  and 
diamonds,  surmounted  by  a  wreath  of  roses,  entered  her  carriage, 
with  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  and  Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  and 
set  out  for  the  rendezvous. 

1  Journal  des  Debuts,  June  13,  1816. 


50  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

At  mid-day  the  princess  perceived  in  the  distance  the  two 
tents  adorned  with  the  double  escutcheons  of  France  and  the 
Two  Sicilies,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  observed  :  "  I  must 
warn  your  Royal  Highness  that  we  are  about  to  arrive  at  the 
Croix  de  Saint-Herem.  It  is  there  that  Madame  la  Duchesse 
de  Berry  will  find  the  Royal  Family."  As  the  princess's  carriage 
entered  the  glade  from  the  South,  that  of  Louis  XVIII. 
entered  it  from  the  North,  for  etiquette  required  that  both 
corteges  should  reach  the  rendezvous  at  precisely  the  same 
moment,  and,  to  ensure  this,  signals  had  been  established  along 
the  roads,  to  hasten  or  delay  the  advance  of  the  travellers. 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry's  carriage  stopped.  "  The  King  is 
advancing  to  meet  your  Royal  Highness,"  observed  the  Duchesse 
de  Reggio. 

The  step  was  let  down  ;  the  Due  de  Levis,  her  chevalier 
d'honneur,  came  forward  and  offered  his  hand,  and  the  princess 
alighted. 

Etiquette  met  her  at  the  carriage-door.  It  had  been  decided 
that  the  ceremonial  observed  on  the  arrival  of  Marie  Leczinska 
at  Moret  ninety  years  before  was  to  be  scrupulously  resuscitated. 
On  the  grass  between  the  two  tents  a  carpet  had  been  spread. 
The  princess,  alone,  was  to  advance  half-way  along  the  carpet  ; 
while  the  Royal  Family,  with  the  King  at  their  head,  crossed  the 
other  half,  so  that  the  meeting  should  take  place  exactly  in 
the  centre.  But  this  tedious  ceremonial  was  too  much  for  the 
impulsive  young  lady,  and,  after  inquiring  in  an  undertone  if 
the  carpet  were  neutral  ground  like  the  Hotel  de  Ville  at 
Marseilles,  she  hastened  forward  and,  before  the  gouty  old  King 
had  advanced  more  than  a  few  paces  along  the  carpet,  she  knelt 
at  his  feet,  lifted  his  hands  to  her  lips,  "  and  said  some  words  of 
which  he  seemed  to  approve."  x  The  King,  raising  her  up  and 
pressing  her  to  his  heart,  embraced  her  several  times,  and  then 
presented  her  to  the  members  of  the  Royal  Family.  "  Nephew," 
said  he,  addressing  the  Due  de  Berry,  "here  is  the  princess  who 
is  destined  for  you.  It  is  my  daughter  whom  I  give  to  you,  for 
I  love  her  already  as  a  father.  Endeavour  to  make  her  happy." 
And  with  that  he  joined  their  hands. 

"They  looked  at  one  another,"  writes  the  Duchesse  de 
Gontaut.  "  What  a  moment,  when  each  sought  to  divine  what 
their  whole  life  was  to  be !     She  appeared  to  please  him,  and  I 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  51 

heard  him  say  in  a  low  tone  to  Madame  de  la  Ferronays  :  '  I  shall 
love  her.' " 

The  weather  had  been  gloomy  all  the  morning,  but  at  the 
moment  of  the  interview  the  sun  broke  through  the  clouds,  and 
the  brilliant  toilettes  of  the  ladies,  the  splendid  uniforms  of  the 
princes  and  their  suites,  and  of  the  troops  of  the  Maison  du  Roi, 
who  lined  the  open  space  around  the  cross,  presented  a  dazzling 
spectacle. 

The  presentations  concluded,  the  King  offered  his  right  hand 
to  the  princess,  and  the  Due  de  Berry  his  left,  to  conduct 
her  to  the  royal  coach,  which  was  capable  of  containing  the 
whole  Royal  Family.  "  The  princes,"  writes  the  enthusiastic 
correspondent  of  the  Moniteur,  "  appeared  intoxicated  with  joy, 
and  never  had  his  Majesty's  countenance  worn  a  more  kind  or 
benevolent  expression." 

Amid  shouts  of  "  Vive  le  Roi!  "  and  "  Vivent  les  Bourbons  !  " 
the  royal  cortege  set  out  for  Fontainebleau.  It  entered  the 
chateau  by  the  Cour  du  Cheval-Bianc,  where  three  regiments  of 
the  Guard  and  several  squadrons  of  lancers  and  hussars  were 
drawn  up.  The  perron  of  the  Escalier  du  Fer-a-Cheval  was 
hidden  beneath  a  portico  composed  entirely  of  flowers,  ingeni- 
ously arranged  so  as  to  form  inscriptions.  During  the  whole 
evening  the  courts  of  the  chateau  were  filled  by  an  immense 
crowd,  eager  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  princess.  "  At  six  o'clock, 
the  Royal  Family  dined  in  the  Salle  des  Fetes,  and  every  one 
who  desired  was  admitted  to  the  honour  of  being  present  at  the 
repast.  The  young  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  was  placed  on  his 
Majesty's  left,  by  the  side  of  her  august  husband,  was  the  centre 
of  observation.  After  dinner,  his  Majesty  showed  himself  at  one 
of  the  windows  of  the  Salle  des  Gardes,  overlooking  the  Cour 
Ovale,  and,  having  given  signs  of  his  affection  and  benevolence 
to  the  crowd,  who  made  the  air  resound  with  cries  of  '  Vive  la 
Roi!'  took  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  by  the  hand,  and  presented 
her  to  the  people.  Her  Royal  Highness  responded  by  a  saluta- 
tion full  of  grace  to  the  signs  of  joy  which  were  manifested  at 
sight  of  her.  The  Due  de  Berry,  who  was  by  her  side,  was 
received  with  equal  enthusiasm."  x 

The  Royal  Family  retired  early,  for  every  one  was  very  tired, 
and  the  morrow  was  to  witness  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  solemn 
entry  into  the  capital.  The  Due  de  Berry  took  leave  of  his  wife 
1  Moniteur,  June  18,  1816. 


52  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  left  the  palace,  for  etiquette  required  that  he  should  not 
pass  the  night  under  the  same  roof  as  the  princess  until  after 
the  ceremony  at  Notre-Dame.  But,  though  the  inmates  of  the 
chateau  slept,  in  the  town  dancing  and  merrymaking  continued 
until  the  dawn  came  creeping  through  the  trees  of  the  forest. 


CHAPTER  V 

Departure  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  the  Royal  Family  from  Fontainebleau — 
Entry  of  the  princess  into  Paris — A  magnificent  reception — Enthusiasm  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Faubourg  Saint- Antoine — Arrival  at  the  Tuileries — The  marriage 
ceremony  at  Notre-Dame — The  Royal  Family  dine  a?i  grand  convert  at  the 
Tuileries — The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  depart  for  the  Elysee-Bourbon — A 
singular  ceremony. 

DURING  the  night  rain  fell  heavily,  and,  though  it  ceased 
before  morning,  the  outlook  was  the  reverse  of 
promising.  Every  one  was  in  despair,  since  immense 
preparations  had  been  made  for  the  reception  of  the  princess  in 
Paris,  and  a  wet  day  would  have  been  a  real  disaster.  Happily, 
however,  the  weather  cleared  before  noon,  and  when  the  Court 
left  Fontainebleau,  the  sun  was  shining  brilliantly  once  more. 

As  it  was  the  Feast  of  Corpus  Christi,  and  Louis  XVIII.  was 
unwilling  to  interfere  with  the  solemn  processions  which  took 
place  on  the  morning  of  that  day,  it  had  been  arranged  that  the 
Royal  Family  should  not  reach  Paris  until  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon. 

More  than  twenty  triumphal  arches  spanned  the  road  between 
Fontainebleau  and  the  capital,  those  at  Melun  being  particularly 
magnificent.  The  one  at  the  entrance  to  the  town  bore  the 
words :  "A  Louis  XVIII.  la  ville  de  Mclun  ;  "  that  at  the  north 
gate  was  inscribed  with  the  device  :  "  Non  major  causa  Icetitiee? 

The  inscription  on  the  arch  erected  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Lieursaint,  the  village  in  which  passes  the  third  act  of  Colle's 
famous  comedy,  la  Par  tie  de  Chasse  de  Henri  IV.,  was  in 
allusion  to  the  ancedote  which  formed  the  subject  of  that  play  : 
"  Les  successeurs  de  Michau  aux  illustres  rejetons  de  Henri  IV."  l 

At  four  o'clock,  the  cannon  of  Vincennes  announced  the 
approach  of  the  Royal  Family,  and  the  troops  who  were  to 
precede  them  were  marshalled  at  the  Barriere  du  Trone.  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  later,   the    cortege  arrived,  and  the   King, 

1   Moniteur,  June  iS,  1S16. 
S3 


54  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

alighting  from  the  royal  coach,  entered  a  calash  which  was  in 
waiting.  The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  sat  on  his  left  and  the 
Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  opposite  ;  while  Monsieur  and  the 
Due  d'Angouleme  mounted  on  horseback  and  placed  themselves 
on  either  side  of  the  carriage.  The  procession  then  entered 
Paris.  At  its  head  marched  the  staff  officers  of  the  garrison  ; 
then  came  successively  a  detachment  of  the  National  Guards  of 
the  adjacent  departments,  a  regiment  of  dragoons,  the  staff 
officers  of  the  Guard,  led  by  the  Due  de  Reggio,  the  mounted 
National  Guard,  the  first  carriages  of  the  Court,  the  Gardes  du 
corps,  and  the  King's  calash  ;  while  the  splendid  corps 
of  the  Grenadiers  a  cheval  of  the  Guard,  a  detachment  of 
gendarmes,  and  the  remaining  carriages  of  the  Court  closed  the 
march. 

On  the  Place  du  Trone  the  procession  halted,  while  M.  de 
Chabrol,  the  Prefect  of  the  Seine,  on  behalf  of  the  municipal 
authorities,  harangued  the  King  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
and  a  deputation  of  young  girls,  chosen  from  the  twelve 
arrondissements  of  Paris,  presented  flowers  to  the  princess — 
who  must  by  this  time  have  been  growing  a  little  tired  of  floral 
offerings — and  sang  a  cantata  composed  for  the  occasion  by 
Cherubini. 

The  procession  then  moved  on  through  a  double  hedge  of 
troops  and  under  an  arch  of  white  flags  and  chains  of  evergreens, 
from  which  were  suspended  crowns  of  lilies  and  interlaced 
hearts  of  roses,  along  the  Faubourg  Saint-Antoine  and  the 
boulevards. 

The  Faubourg  Saint-Antoine  had  a  sinister  reputation 
where  the  Bourbons  were  concerned.  From  its  crowded  courts 
and  fetid  alleys  had  come  the  greater  part  of  the  frenzied  mob 
which  had  demolished  the  Bastille,  dragged  the  Royal  Family 
from  Versailles,  and  stormed  the  Tuileries.  Its  ragged  denizens 
had  been  among  the  most  assiduous  of  Dame  Guillotine's 
courtiers  ;  had  shouted  for  joy  when  the  heads  of  Louis  XVI. 
and  Marie  Antoinette  rolled  in  the  sawdust,  and  had  acclaimed 
Robespierre  and  his  bloodstained  satellites  to  the  skies.  But 
now  their  devotion  to  the  relatives  of  those  whom  they  had 
hounded  to  the  scaffold  appeared  to  know  no  bounds ;  eight 
thousand  workmen  assessed  themselves  at  twenty  sous  a  head 
to  provide  garlands  and  cupids,  and,  in  the  excess  of  its  loyalty, 
the  faubourg  actually  went  so  far  as  to  demand  that  it  should 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  55 

be  rebaptized  and  given  the  name  of  the  Faubourg-Royal.1 
"  Tout  arrive  en  France"  as  La  Rochefoucauld  observed  to 
Cardinal  Mazarin  on  a  memorable  occasion. 

The  cortege  moved  slowly  westward,  the  crowds  becoming 
denser,  the  enthusiasm  more  unbounded,  and  the  decorations 
more  sumptuous,  as  it  approached  the  Tuileries.  "  It  is 
impossible,  save  for  those  who  know  Paris,  to  form  an  idea  of 
the  effect  which  the  decorations  produced.  Each  house,  each 
window,  vied  with  its  neighbour  in  embellishment.  One 
expression  only  can  be  admitted  here :  '  Paris  was  garbed  in 
flags.'  "  2 

All  kinds  of  ingenious  and  agreeable  surprises  had  been 
contrived  for  the  young  princess.  On  the  Boulevard  du  Temple, 
opposite  the  Cafe  d'Apollon,  a  rope  had  been  stretched  across 
the  road.  On  this  the  younger  Saqui,  a  celebrated  acrobat  of 
the  time,  mounted  and,  as  the  royal  carriage  passed  beneath  him, 
let  fall  a  shower  of  lilies  and  other  flowers  upon  its  occupants. 
A  little  further  on,  a  dove  descended  and  placed  a  crown  on  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry's  head,  and  on  the  Boulevard  Montmartre 
she  was  introduced  to  the  physician  Robertson's  mechanical 
trumpet,  a  halt  being  made  in  order  that  she  might  listen 
to  it. 

At  half-past  six,  the  cortege  reached  the  Tuileries,  which  was 
entered  by  the  Porte  du  Louvre,  and  Louis  XVIII.  conducted 
the  princess  to  the  Pavilion  Marsan,  where  she  was  to  spend  the 
night.  The  Royal  Family  again  dined  au  grand  convert,  and 
afterwards  showed  themselves  at  one  of  the  windows  of  the 
chateau  to  the  enthusiastic  crowd  who  had  assembled  in  the 
gardens.  The  King  then  again  escorted  the  princess,  dazzled 
and  delighted  by  the  magnificence  of  her  reception,  to  her 
apartments,  while  the  Due  de  Berry  repaired  to  the  Elysee- 
Bourbon,  which  on  the  morrow  would  become  the  home  of  the 
young  couple. 

A  sky  as  cloudless  as  that  of  Naples  greeted  Caroline  when 
she  rose  on  her  wedding-morn.  At  eight  o'clock,  the  troops 
detailed  to  keep  the  route  of  the  procession  assembled  in  the 
open  space  in  front  of  the  cathedral  and  marched  off  to  line  the 

1  "  Not  knowing  how  else  to  cleanse  itself  of  its  original  sin,"  wrote  the  Baron  de 
Fermilly  to  one  of  his  friends. 

■  Journal  des  Dibats,  June  17,  18 16. 


56  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

streets  from  the  Place  Notre-Dame  to  the  Tuileries,  where  dense 
crowds  had  already  taken  their  stand,  for  all  Paris  had  been  en 
fete  from  early  dawn.  At  the  same  hour  the  doors  of  the 
cathedral  were  thrown  open,  and  a  throng  of  ladies  en  grande 
tenue  and  of  officers  and  public  functionaries  in  uniform  or 
court  costume  hastened  to  take  the  places  assigned  to  them  in 
the  choir  and  in  the  vast  galleries  which  dominate  the  choir  and 
the  nave. 

The  cathedral  had  been  decorated  with  as  much  taste  as 
magnificence.  Outside,  a  portico  of  sixteen  columns,  supporting 
a  tribune  in  which  an  orchestra  was  installed,  prepared  one  for 
the  pomp  of  the  interior.  The  nave  was  draped  with  azure  velvet 
sewn  with  golden  fleurs-de-lis,  and  the  arms  of  the  principal 
towns  of  the  kingdom,  arranged  three  by  three,  were  suspended 
from  the  pillars,  while  above  them  hung  baskets  filled  with  fruit 
and  flowers.  Four  great  columns,  surmounted  by  rich  banners 
charged  with  devices  and  ornamented  on  their  shafts  with 
emblems  of  Justice,  Commerce,  Navigation,  War,  the  Sciences 
and  the  Arts,  rose  above  the  four  pillars  of  the  cross-aisle.  The 
luxury  of  the  choir  was  still  more  remarkable.  Around  its 
circumference,  fourteen  escutcheons  of  colossal  size  recalled  the 
most  important  events  of  Louis  XVIII.'s  reign. 

On  the  capitals  of  the  columns  supporting  the  galleries  above 
were  portraits  of  the  patron  saints  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom 
and  other  holy  personages,  separated  by  angels  in  bronze  on 
pedestals  of  white  marble.  The  choir,  like  the  nave,  was  draped 
with  azure  velvet  sewn  with  golden  fleurs-de-lis,  and  the  pave- 
ment of  the  whole  edifice  was  covered  with  rich  Savonnerie 
carpets.  A  profusion  of  girandoles  and  lustres  in  rock-crystal 
illuminated  this  imposing  scene. 

The  civil  and  military  authorities,  the  members  of  the  Corps 
Legislatif,  the  Ambassadors,  the  Diplomatic  Corps,  and  the 
Academies  arrived  in  succession  and  took  their  places,  and  by 
ten  o'clock  the  cathedral  was  completely  filled  and  presented  a 
wonderful  spectacle. 

At  half-past  ten,  the  Due  de  Berry,  accompanied  by  the 
Comte  Dambray,  Chancellor  of  France,  arrived  at  the  Tuileries, 
and  repaired  to  the  King's  cabinet,  where  the  civil  documents 
relating  to  the  marriage  were  read  and  signed.  The  witnesses 
were  the  Due  de  Bellune,  the  Comte  de  Barthelemy,  Francois 
de  Bellart,  attorney-general  of  the  Cour  Royale,  and  Raymond 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  57 

de  Seze,  president  of  the  Cour  de  Cassation,  who  had  defended 
Louis  XVI.  before  the  Convention.  All  the  Royal  Family  and 
the  Princesses  of  the  Blood  were  present,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Due  and  Duchesse  d'Orleans  and  the  Due  de  Bourbon,  who 
were  all  three  in  England. 

At  half-past  eleven,  the  wedding  procession  left  the  Tuileries 
and  proceeded  through  the  Place  de  Carrousel  and  along  the 
quays  to  Notre-Dame,  which  was  reached  a  few  minutes  after 
noon.  The  corthge  was  composed  of  the  same  troops  as  on  the 
previous  day  and  of  thirty-six  carriages,  each  drawn  by  eight 
horses. 

In  the  first,  which  was  preceded  by  the  heralds-at-arms  and 
escorted  by  the  Hundred  Swiss,  sat  the  King  with  the  Due  and 
Duchesse  de  Berry  and  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme.  At  the  doors 
of  the  cathedral  Louis  XVIII.  was  received  by  the  Chapter,  who 
moved  in  procession  from  the  choir  to  meet  him.  The  King, 
having  replied  to  the  compliments  which  they  addressed  to  him, 
the  procession  entered  the  church,  headed  by  the  clergy.  The 
Due  de  Berry,  holding  the  duchess  by  the  hand,  preceded  the 
King,  who  advanced  under  a  canopy  borne  by  four  canons  of 
the  cathedral.  The  Due  and  Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  Monsieur^ 
the  aged  Prince  de  Conde,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Bourbon,  the 
Dowager-Duchesse  d'Orleans  followed  in  the  order  mentioned. 

The  costumes  of  the  Royal  Family  and  the  Princes  and 
Princesses  of  the  Blood  were  magnificent.  Louis  XVIII.  wore 
a  uniform  of  royal  blue,  heavily  embroidered  with  gold  lace  and 
pearls,  the  Regent  diamond  sparkled  in  his  hat  and  the  Sancy 
was  set  in  the  pommel  of  his  sword.  Monsieur  wore  the  silver- 
embroidered  uniform  of  Colonel-General  of  the  National  Guard  ; 
the  Due  d'Angouleme  that  of  Grand  Admiral  of  France  ;  and 
the  Prince  de  Conde  the  white  and  gold  uniform  of  Colonel- 
General  of  French  Infantry.  The  Due  de  Berry  was  resplendent 
in  the  sumptuous  costume  which  had  been  worn  on  gala 
occasions  at  the  Court  of  the  first  Bourbon  King  :  white-plumed 
hat,  lace  ruff,  doublet  of  cloth  of  gold,  silk  breeches  and  stockings, 
and  white  satin  mantle  embroidered  with  gold. 

The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  was  dressed  in  white  silk  with 

a  coiffure  of  diamonds  and  ostrich  feathers  ;  but  it  was  not 

upon  her,  but  upon  her  sister-in-law,  that  every  feminine  eye 

in  the  vast  assembly  was   immediately  directed.     The   young 

princess  advanced,  a  dazzling  vision,  in  a  toilette  of  white  satin, 


58  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

embroidered  with  silver-foil.  The  most  beautiful  of  the  Crown 
jewels  scintillated  in  her  coiffure,  covered  her  robe  and  her 
corsage,  and  bedecked  her  ears,  her  neck,  and  her  arms.  She 
seemed  almost  on  fire. 

Through  a  double  line  of  the  Hundred  Swiss  in  their 
picturesque  uniforms,  the  procession  passed  up  the  nave,  the 
congregation,  undeterred  by  the  sanctity  of  the  place,  breaking 
forth  into  enthusiastic  acclamations.  The  Due  and  Duchesse 
de  Berry  stopped  at  the  foot  of  the  steps  leading  to  the  altar  ; 
the  King,  Monsieur,  and  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  went  to  the 
places  reserved  for  them  in  the  choir,  and,  after  kneeling  in 
prayer,  rose  and  advanced  to  the  altar  steps,  the  King  taking  up 
his  position  between  the  bridal  pair,  Monsieur  next  his  son,  and 
the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  next  the  young  princess.  The  Grand 
Almoner  then  delivered  an  eloquent  address,  in  which  he 
exhorted  the  bride  "to  join  the  amiability  of  Rachel  to  the 
prudence  of  Rebecca,  and  the  sweetness  of  Esther  to  the  fidelity 
of  Sarah,"  and  "to  be  fruitful  in  saints  and  heroes."  After  this 
he  performed  the  ceremony,  Mgr.  de  Latil,  Bishop  of  Amydee, 
Monsieur's  first  almoner,  and  the  Abbe  de  Bombelles,  first 
almoner  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  supporting  the  canopy,  which 
was  of  silver  brocade,  the  former  on  the  bridegroom's  side,  the 
latter  on  that  of  the  bride.  The  Due  de  Berry  bowed  profoundly 
both  to  the  King  and  to  his  father,  to  ask  their  consent,  before 
answering,  "  I  will,"  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  did  the  same  to 
the  King. 

After  the  Benediction,  the  King,  Monsieur,  and  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  returned  to  their  places  in  the  choir,  the  bridal 
pair  remaining  alone  at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  The  Mass  was 
said  by  the  Abbe  de  Villeneuve,  almoner-in-ordinary  to  Louis 
XVIII.,  the  musicians  of  the  Chapel  Royal  accompanying  him. 
The  King  kissed  the  paten,  and  the  celebrant  blessed  thirteen 
gold  pieces  enchased  in  a  wax  candle,  which  had  been  presented 
in  the  name  of  the  bridal  pair,  in  accordance  with  ancient  usage. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  Mass,  M.  Valayer,  cure  of  Saint 
Germain  l'Auxerrois,  brought  the  register  of  his  parish,  for  the 
marriage-deed  to  be  signed.  The  Grand  Almoner,  taking  the 
pen,  presented  it  successively  to  the  King,  the  Due  de  Berry, 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  Monsieur,  Madame,  and  the  Due  d'Angou- 
leme ;  and  an  almoner-in-ordinary  to  the  Dowager-Duchesse 
d'Orl^ans,  the  Prince  de  Conde,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Bourbon, 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  59 

and  to  the  four  witnesses  who  had  signed  the  civil  register. 
Finally,  twelve  orphan  girls  who  had  been  dowered  by  the  town 
of  Paris  and  married  on  the  previous  Saturday,1  were  brought 
forward  with  their  husbands,  and  presented  a  crown  of  orange- 
blossoms  to  the  bride,  who  begged  them  "  to  pray  for  her,  and 
never  to  forget  her." 

The  procession  then  left  the  cathedral  in  the  same  order  as 
it  had  entered,  save  that  the  Due  de  Berry  now  took  his 
accustomed  place  behind  his  elder  brother,  while  his  wife 
followed  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme. 

The  palace  was  reached  at  half-past  three,  and  the  Royal 
Family  showed  themselves  on  the  balcony  of  the  Galerie  Vitree, 
below  which  an  immense  crowd  had  gathered  to  acclaim  them. 
In  the  evening,  at  seven  o'clock,  there  was  a  card-party  in  the 
Galerie  de  Diane,  where  thirty  tables  had  been  set  out.  The 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  several 
other  ladies  had  the  honour  of  being  invited  in  turn  to  play  with 
the  King. 

At  nine  o'clock,  the  King  dined  an  grand  convert  in  the 
theatre  of  the  chateau,  which  had  been  specially  prepared  for  the 
occasion  and  sumptuously  decorated.  All  the  minute  ceremonial 
of  the  ancien  regime  was  scrupulously  observed,  under  the 
directions  of  Talleyrand,  the  Grand  Chamberlain,  who  discharged 
for  the  nonce  the  functions  of  Grand  Master  of  the  King's 
Household,  the  Prince  de  Conde,  the  holder  of  that  office,  being 
excused  his  duties  on  account  of  his  great  age,  while  the  Due  de 
Bourbon,  who  had  the  reversion  of  his  post,  was  in  England. 

The  Comte  de  Cosse-Brissac,  first  maitre  d  hotel  to  the 
King,  with  his  wand  of  office  in  his  hand,  preceded  his  Majesty 
and  escorted  him  to  table.  The  royal  princes  and  princesses 
had  the  honour  of  dining  with  his  Majesty,  but  the  princes  and 
princesses  of  the  Blood  were  not  invited. 

The  first  maitre  d hotel  served  the  King,  and  whenever  his 
Majesty  wished  to  drink,  the  Grand  Cellarer,  the  Due  d'Escars, 
proclaimed  the  fact  in  a  loud  voice,  in  accordance  with  ancient 
custom.  The  Grand  Officers  of  the  Crown  stood  behind  the 
King's  chair  ;  the  Gentlemen  of  the  Chamber,  the  aides-de-camp 
on  duty,  and  the  ladies  in  attendance  on  the  princesses  ranged 

1  The  money  for  their  dowries  had  been  originally  voted  for  a  grand  display  of 
hreworks  in  honour  of  the  King,  but  he  had  expressed  a  desire  that  it  should  be 
expended  in  a  more  useful  manner,  and  one  calculated  to  produce  durable  results. 


60  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

themselves  on  either  side  of  the  table.  The  duchesses  were 
supplied  with  stools,  but  the  other  ladies  were  compelled  to 
remain  standing  the  whole  time,  and,  as  they  were  all  en  grand 
habit  and  the  weather  was  terribly  hot,  they  were  almost  fainting 
with  fatigue  when  they  were  at  last  released.  Towards  the  end 
of  the  repast,  during  which  an  endless  stream  of  spectators 
defiled  behind  the  balustrade  and  the  King's  musicians  executed 
several  pieces  composed  for  the  occasion,  his  Majesty  received 
the  Ambassadors,  who  came  to  compliment  him,  and  spoke  a 
few  words  to  each. 

The  old  monarch,  notwithstanding  the  fatigue  he  had  under- 
gone that  day,  was  radiant  with  satisfaction,  and  people  laugh- 
ingly declared  that  "  he  looked  as  if  he  had  just  been  married 
himself."  "The  Due  de  Berry  is  in  love  with  the  princess,"  he 
observed  to  one  of  the  Ambassadors  ;  "  but  he  is  not  the  only 
one,  and  we  are  all  his  rivals." 

The  grand  convert  lasted  an  hour,  and  soon  afterwards  the 
Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  started  for  the  Elys£e,  accompanied 
by  the  Duchesse  dAngouleme,  the  Dowager-Duchesse  d'Orleans, 
and  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio.  The  King  ordered  a  calash  and 
went  to  view  the  illuminations  of  the  Tuileries,  which  had  been 
carried  out  with  such  taste  and  splendour  that,  we  are  told,  a 
visitor  must  have  imagined  himself  in  fairy-land.  The  chief 
attraction  was  a  long  avenue  formed  by  multicoloured  columns, 
linked  together  by  a  chain  of  lanterns  and  terminating  in  a 
temple  of  Hymen. 

After  admiring  the  illuminations,  his  Majesty  proceeded  to 
the  Elysee,  to  assist  at  the  last  ceremony  of  the  day  :  the  public 
consummation  of  the  marriage. 

The  Grand  Almoner,  having  pronounced  the  benediction  of 
the  nuptial  couch,  the  wedded  pair  entered  it,  in  the  presence 
of  the  King,  the  Royal  Family,  and  their  Household,  who  then 
defiled  past  the  bed  in  order  of  precedence,  bade  them  good-night, 
and  withdrew.1 

But  we  must  now  leave  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  for  a  while, 
in  order  to  speak  of  the  prince  whose  bride  she  has  become  and 
of  other  actors  on  that  stage  on  which  she  will  presently  play 
so  prominent  a  part. 

1  Moniteur,  June  18,  1816  ;  Journal  des  Debats,  June  18,  1816 ;  Duchesse  de 
Gontaut,  Mcmoires  ;  Alfred  de  Nettement,  Mhnoircs  sur  S.A.R.  Madame,  la  duchesse 
de  Berry  ;  Imbert  de  Saint- Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  ei  la  Cour  de  Louis  XVII I.  ; 
Yicomte  de  Reiset,  Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  Due  de  Berry — I  lis  boyhood — A  pretty  story — He  emigrates  with  his  family 
in  1789 — The  School  of  Artillery  at  Turin — The  duke  joins  the  Army  of  Conde — A 
mariage  manque — The  duke  takes  up  his  residence  in  London — His  appearance  and 
character — An  incorrigible  gallant — Amy  Brown — Parentage  of  Amy  Brown — 
Her  four  elder  children  :  John  and  Robert  Freeman,  Emma  Georgiana  Marshall, 
and  George  Brown — Baptismal  certificates  of  her  two  daughters  by  the  Due 
de  Berry,  Charlotte  and  Louise  Brown — Mystery  of  the  paternity  of  the 
elder  children — Assertion  of  the  Prince  de  Lucinge,  husband  of  Charlotte 
Brown,  that  all  the  children  of  Amy  Brown  were  the  issue  of  a  lawful 
marriage  between  her  and  the  Due  de  Berry  which  Louis  XVIII.  had  refused  to 
recognize — The  legend  of  George  Brown,  the  "  child  of  mystery  " — Article  in  the 
Telegraphe  of  April  14,  1877 — Appearance  of  M.  Charles  Nauroy's  work,  les  Secrets 
des Bourbons — The  brochure  of  M.  Grave — Improbability  of  the  supposed  marriage 
having  taken  place  at  the  time  alleged  by  M.  Nauroy,  shown  by  the  narrative  of 
Madame  de  Gontaut  and  the  letters  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to  the  Comte  de  Clermont- 
Lodeve — The  tradition  of  the  marriage  very  firmly  established,  notwithstanding  that 
the  balance  of  authoritative  contemporary  opinion  is  against  it. 

CHARLES  FERDINAND,  Due  de  Berry,  was  born  at 
Versailles  on  January  24,  1778.  As  a  boy,  he  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  remarkable  for  his  intelligence 
—indeed,  the  Imperial  Ambassador,  Mercy-Argenteau,  was 
unkind  enough  to  describe  both  him  and  his  elder  brother,  the 
Due  d'Angouleme,  as  "  nullities,  like  their  parents  " — and  he  was 
certainly  very  idle.  On  the  other  hand,  he  was  a  merry,  high- 
spirited  lad  and  extremely  generous  and  kind-hearted.  Of  his 
goodness  of  heart,  Chateaubriand  relates  a  pretty  story  : — 

"  A  Monsieur  Rochon,  writing-master  of  the  young  princes, 
had  experienced  a  considerable  loss,  caused  by  a  fire.  The  Due 
de  Berry  begged  his  gouverneur,  the  Due  de  Serent,  to  give  him 
twenty-five  louis  for  poor  Rochon.  The  duke  consented,  but  on 
condition  that  the  prince  gave  satisfaction  to  his  master  for  a 
fortnight,  without  saying  anything  to  him  about  the  twenty-five 
louis.  And  so  Monseigneur  set  to  work  and  traced  big  letters 
as  little  awry  as  he  could.  Rochon  was  astonished  at  this  sudden 
change  and  did  not  cease  to  praise  his  pupil.     The  fortnight 

61 


62  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

passed  ;  the  Due  de  Berry  received  the  twenty-five  louis,  and 
carried  them  in  triumph  to  Rochon.  The  latter,  not  knowing 
whether  the  gonverncur  approved  of  this  generosity,  declined  to 
accept  the  money.  The  child  insisted  ;  the  master  objected. 
The  young  prince  lost  patience,  and,  throwing  the  twenty-five 
louis  on  the  table,  exclaimed  :  '  Take  them  ;  they  have  cost  me 
dear  enough  ;  it  is  for  this  that  I  have  been  writing  so  well  for 
the  last  fortnight ! '"  : 

When  the  Comte  and  Comtesse  d'Artois  emigrated  in  1789, 
the  two  young  princes  followed  them,  in  charge  of  their 
gouverneur,  the  Due  de  Serent,  and,  after  remaining  a  few  weeks 
in  the  Netherlands,  found  an  asylum  with  their  uncle,  the  King 
of  Sardinia,  at  Turin.  Here  they  became  pupils  at  the  School  of 
Artillery,  where  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  was  keenly  interested 
in  military  studies,  made  excellent  progress.  A  cannon  which 
the  brothers  had  assisted  in  casting,  and  upon  which  their  names 
had  been  engraved,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  French  when  they 
invaded  Piedmont,  and  this  singular  monument  of  the  freaks  of 
Fortune  was  found  in  one  of  the  artillery-depots  in  France  at 
the  Restoration. 

In  1792,  the  Due  de  Berry  joined  the  Army  of  the  Princes, 
and  received  his  "  baptism  of  fire  "  at  the  siege  of  Thionville, 
where,  boy  though  he  was,  he  showed  conspicuous  courage. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  campaign,  he  returned  to  Turin,  but 
rejoined  the  army  of  Conde  in  the  summer  of  1794  and  served 
with  it  until  the  armistice  of  Leoben  (June,  1794),  when  that 
gallant  little  force  passed  into  the  service  of  Russia.  After 
spending  some  months  with  his  father  at  Holyrood  and  visiting 
Louis  XVIII.  at  Mittau,  the  young  duke  again  rejoined  his 
comrades,  who  were  now  quartered  in  Poland,  and  took  part  in 
the  Swiss  campaign  of  1799,  where  he  commanded  a  cavalry 
regiment  of  French  hnigrfs,  which  he  succeeded  in  bringing  to 
a  high  state  of  efficiency. 

Meanwhile,  Louis  XVI II.,  having  married  the  Due 
d'Angouleme  to  the  "  Orphan  of  the  Temple,"  was  endeavouring 
to  find  a  wife  for  his  younger  nephew.  His  task  was  no  easy 
one,  for,  in  his  present  position,  the  Due  de  Berry  could  scarcely 
be  considered  a  suitable  husband  for  a  princess  of  any  reigning 
House,  and  Bourbon  pride  forbade  his  condescending  to  a  lady 

1  Memoires,  lettres  et  pikes  authentiques  touchant  la  vie  et  la  morl  de  S.A.R. 
Charles  Ferdinand  d'Artois,  Due  de  Berry. 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  63 

of  inferior  rank.  However,  in  1799,  the  King  cast  his  eyes  in  the 
direction  of  the  Royal  Family  of  Naples,  and  the  Comte  de 
Chastellux,  his  envoy  at  Ferdinand's  Court,  was  directed  to  open 
negotiations  for  a  marriage  between  the  Due  de  Berry  and  the 
Princess  Christina,  afterwards  Duchesse  of  Genoa.  His  overtures 
were  well  received  and  towards  the  end  of  that  year  the  prince 
was  invited  to  Palermo,  where  he  was  no  doubt  called  upon  to 
admire  his  Majesty's  year-old  grand-daughter.  Little  did  he 
imagine  that  the  infant  princess  was  one  day  to  become  his 
wife ! 

The  Due  de  Berry  succeeded  in  making  a  very  favourable 
impression  on  the  Neapolitan  Court ;  his  marriage  with  the 
Princess  Christina  was  practically  decided  upon,  and  he  was 
even  accorded  a  pension  of  25,000  ducats,  though,  owing  to  the 
unsatisfactory  condition  of  the  royal  finances,  it  was  soon 
revoked.  Maria  Carolina  and  her  daughters  left  Sicily  on  a 
visit  to  Vienna,  and  the  prince  went  to  Rome  and  took  service 
in  the  Neapolitan  corps  which  was  then  occupying  the  papal 
city.  Here  he  received  a  letter  from  his  brother,  informing  him 
that  he  was  with  the  Army  of  Conde,  which  was  now  in  the 
pay  of  England,  and  formed  part  of  the  Austrian  forces  operating 
in  Bavaria,  and  that  a  general  engagement  was  confidently 
expected.  The  duke's  warlike  ardour  easily  triumphed  over 
his  sense  of  discipline,  and,  without  waiting  to  demand  Ferdi- 
nand's permission,  he  left  Rome,  hurried  through  Italy  and 
across  the  Alps,  joined  his  comrades  on  the  Inn,  and  took  part 
in  the  campaign  of  Hohenlinden,  though  he  was  not  actually 
present  at  the  battle. 

This  escapade  proved  fatal  to  his  matrimonial  prospects  ; 
for  Acton,  who  regarded  the  proposed  match  with  scant  favour, 
being  of  opinion  that  Ferdinand  might  find  a  much  more 
eligible  parti  for  his  daughter  than  a  vagabond  prince,  who 
would  be  entirely  dependent  on  his  father-in-law's  bounty  and 
might  involve  him  in  serious  political  embarrassments,  did  not 
fail  to  represent  to  the  King  that  the  young  man's  conduct  was 
not  only  a  gross  breach  of  military  discipline,  but  a  personal 
affront  to  his  Majesty.  Ferdinand's  vanity  was  wounded,  and, 
though  the  duke  wrote  several  letters  to  endeavour  to  exonerate 
himself,  they  remained  unanswered,  and  the  marriage  negotia- 
tions were  broken  off. 

The  Due  de  Berry  was  in  despair  and  wrote  to  Louis  XVIII. 


64  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

declaring  that  "  he  was  not  intended  for  happiness."  He  was 
now,  indeed,  in  a  most  unfortunate  position,  for  after  the  Treaty 
of  Luneville,  which  put  an  end  to  hostilities  in  Germany, 
Conde's  army  had  been  definitely  disbanded,  and  he  had  been 
compelled  to  renounce  the  profession  which  had  been  his  almost 
from  boyhood,  and  which  had  afforded  him  an  outlet  for  his 
superabundant  energies.  After  wandering  rather  aimlessly 
about  Europe  for  more  than  four  years,  during  which  several 
unsuccessful  attempts  were  made  by  his  royal  uncle  to  provide 
him  with  a  consort  befitting  his  exalted  rank,1  towards  the  end 
of  1805  or  the  beginning  of  1806,  the  Due  de  Berry  arrived  in 
England  and  took  up  his  residence  in  London. 

He  was  now  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  rather  below  the 
middle  height  and  very  strongly  built,  with  a  big  head,  a  broad 
forehead,  prominent  eyes,  a  short  neck,  a  high  complexion,  and 
rather  a  coarse  mouth,  and  would  have  been  accounted  an  ugly 
man  had  it  not  been  for  a  singularly  charming  smile,  which  lighted 
up  his  plain  features  and  made  him  appear  almost  handsome. 
He  was  a  good  musician,  and  familiar  with  a  number  of  instru- 
ments ;  sang  agreeably  ;  was  a  connoisseur  of  pictures,  and  had 
some  talent  for  drawing ;  and  spoke  several  languages  fluently. 

His  manners  were  not  nearly  so  refined  as  his  tastes,  being, 
in  fact,  brusque   to   the   point  of  boorishness ;   while  he  was 

1  One  of  the  princesses  whom  his  Majesty  endeavoured  to  secure  for  his  nephew 
was  Beatrice  of  Savoy,  daughter  of  Victor  Emmanuel  I.,  King  of  Sardinia.  That 
monarch  was  anything  but  flattered  by  the  proposal  and  wrote  to  his  brother,  the 
Duke  of  Genoa,  husband  of  that  Princess  Christina  of  Naples,  to  whose  hand  the 
Due  de  Berry  had  once  aspired,  to  ask  him  how  he  was  to  get  out  of  the  difficulty, 
without  wounding  the  susceptibilities  of  the  exiled  family.  His  letter,  written  in 
1805,  which  has  been  published  by  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  in  his  interesting  work, 
les  Enfants  du  due  de  Berry%  shows  with  what  little  favour  the  idea  of  an  alliance 
with  the  unfortunate  Bourbons  was  regarded,  even  by  the  secondary  princes  of 
Europe,  and  how  hopeless  the  chance  of  their  restoration  was  considered  to  be.  "  I 
must  take  you  into  my  confidence,"  he  writes,  "  that  for  a  long  time  past  I  have  per- 
ceived from  the  expressions  of  Louis  18  (sic)  in  his  complimentary  letters  and  from 
those  of  M.  d'Avarois  [d'Avaray],  when  he  passed  on  his  way  to  Naples,  that  they 
were  desirous  of  opening  negotiations  for  the  marriage  of  Beatrice  and  Berry.  For 
my  part,  I  have  always  pretended  not  to  understand  them,  because  it  would  be  to 
marry  hunger  and  thirst  and  make  my  daughter  become  a  perpetual  Bohemian. 
Yesterday's  courier  brought  me  a  note  given  by  Louis  XVIII.  to  Maistre,  in  which 
he  tells  him  to  sound  me.  ...  I  confess  that  I  do  not  care  about  it,  and  I  shall 
defer  giving  any  answer  to  Maistre.  .  .  .  Finally,  I  believe  that  Beatrice  will  always 
remain  less  poor,  and  less  exposed  to  bad  company,  anywhere  else,  even  with  me, 
than  with  Berry,  whose  conduct  must  needs  not  be  excellent.  Pray  give  me  your 
advice  on  the  matter,  for  I  fear  that  they  will  return  to  the  charge." 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  65 

obstinate  and  headstrong,  afflicted  with  a  most  ungovernable 
temper,  and  accustomed  "  to  express  himself  eloquently  in  his 
passions."  These  fits  of  anger  once  passed,  however,  remorse 
quickly  followed,  and  he  hastened  to  make  reparation  to  those 
whom  he  had  offended,  and,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  he  even 
had  the  moral  courage  to  offer  a  public  apology.1 

He  was,  moreover,  as  generous  and  warm-hearted  as  he  had 
been  as  a  boy,  and  ever  ready  to  hold  out  a  helping  hand  to  a 
friend  in  distress  ;  and  his  last  act  when  the  Army  of  Conde 
was  disbanded  was  to  distribute  the  money  he  had  received 
from  the  sale  of  his  horses  among  his  needy  comrades. 

"  A  prince  who  no  longer  reigns,  an  exile  without  a  country, 
a  soldier  who  no  more  goes  to  war,  is  the  most  independent  of 
men,"  writes  Chateaubriand  in  his  biography  of  the  duke.  "  It 
often  happens  that  he  seeks  in  the  affections  of  the  heart  the 
wherewithal  to  fill  the  void  of  his  days.  It  would  be  useless 
to  preserve  silence  about  that  which  the  Christian  and  heroic 
death  of  the  prince  has  revealed.  The  Due  de  Berry  was  weak 
like  Francois  I.  and  Bayard ;  Henri  IV.  and  Crillon  ;  Louis 
XIV.  and  Turenne.  King  John  came  to  resume  in  England  the 
fetters  which  he  preferred  to  liberty.  There  are  two  kinds  of 
faults  which,  grave  as  they  ought  to  be  in  the  eyes  of  religion, 
are  treated  with  indulgence  in  the  country  of  Agnes  and 
Gabrielle.2  In  condemning  too  severely  in  our  kings  the 
frailties  of  love  and  the  desire  for  glory,  France  would  fear  to 
condemn  herself." 

From  this  passage  it  will  be  gathered  that  the  Due  de  Berry 

1  Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  daughter-in-law  of  the  Due  de  Berry's  faithful  friend 
and  aide-de-camp,  relates,  in  her  Memoin's,  the  following  story:  "Violent  scenes 
often  occurred  between  the  Due  de  Berry  and  his  devoted  servant  [the  Comte  Auguste 
de  la  Ferronays],  While  in  England,  they  had  been  even  out  to  fight  a  duel,  and 
the  King  was  obliged  to  interfere  to  prevent  a  scandal.  Another  day — it  is  due  to 
the  memory  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to  relate  this  anecdote,  which  does  him  great 
honour — after  a  violent  discussion,  M.  de  la  Ferronays,  having  been  offended,  left 
the  house  in  which  the  prince  lived.  In  the  evening,  the  Due  de  Berry,  astonished 
at  not  seeing  him,  sent  to  ascertain  whither  he  had  gone,  and  inquired  the  cause  of 
his  sudden  departure.  '  Monseigneur,  you  insulted  me  before  your  servants,  and  I 
should  not  know  how  to  endure  such  treatment.'  '  Name  those  who  were  present.' 
They  were  sent  for,  and  the  prince  said  to  them  :  *  I  failed  yesterday  in  the  respect 
that  I  owe  to  M.  de  la  Ferronays ;  I  make  him  my  excuses  and  I  ask  him  to  pardon 
me.'    Then,   turning  towards  my  father-in-law :    '  Are  you  satisfied  ? '      One   can 

imagine  the  reply." 

*  Agnes  Sorel,  mistress  of  Charles  VII.,   and  Gabrielle  d'Estrees,  mistress  of 

Henry  IV. 
F 


66  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

was  very  far  from  insensible  to  feminine  charms.  To  be  candid, 
he  appears  to  have  been  as  incorrigible  a  coureur  de  dames  as 
his  great  ancestor  the  "  Vert-Galant"  himself. 

With  most  of  the  prince's  pre-nuptial  attachments  we  have 
no  concern  here  ;  but  there  is  one  which  it  is  impossible  for  us 
to  ignore,  since  it  has  been  confidently  asserted  that  it  was  not 
a  liaison  but  a  marriage  a  la  Maintenon,  and,  to  establish  or 
refute  this  theory,  several  erudite  monographs  and  review  and 
newspaper-articles  without  number  have  appeared.  But  let  us 
listen  to  the  Duchesse  de  Gontaut : 

"  Simple  in  his  tastes,  the  Due  de  Berry  led  a  quiet  life  in 
London,  dining  daily  with  Monsieur,  and  spending  with  him 
frequent  evenings  at  the  houses  of  the  Duchesse  de  Coigny  and 
other   emigrant   friends.     He   cared   little  for   the   assemblies, 
where,  however,  he  was  much  sought  after  ;  his  great  pleasure 
was  the  Opera,  '  which,'  said  he  to  me  one  evening,  '  is  rather  an 
expensive  taste  for  an  exiled  prince.'     He  made  this  admission 
with  such  grace,  that  I  repeated  it,  and  each  of  my  friends 
hastened  to  pay  him  the  homage  of  complimentary  tickets  for 
the   boxes   of  Society.     The  Due   de  Berry  appreciated   this 
attention,  and  often  came  to  tell  us  of  it ;  it  was  so  much  the 
more    agreeable    that    this    year    was    that    of   the    debut   of 
Madame.  .  .  .  Monseigneur,  sharing   the   general    enthusiasm, 
did    not    miss    one    of    her    evenings.      From    the    Duke    of 
Portland's   box,   where    I    often    sat   with   my   daughters,   we 
enjoyed    his    admiration ;    but,   not   far    from    there,   we   had 
remarked  a  woman  of  distinguished  appearance,  whom  every 
one   looked  at,  but  whom  no  one  knew.     She  was  beautiful, 
although  extremely  pale,  and  well  dressed,  in  a  simple  fashion. 
The  curiosity  with  which  she  inspired  our  compatriots  amused 
us    the    more    that    she  appeared    to   be  perfectly  indifferent 
to   it.      A   young   La   Chastre   offered    her   one   day   a   pro- 
gramme, which  she  refused.     M    de    Clermont-Lodeve,  more 
bold,  offered  her  a  bouquet ;  she  cast  on  him  a  look  of  magni- 
ficent disdain.     On  this  occasion,  we  remarked  the  rather  cold 
gravity  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  did  not  consider   it   good 
taste   to   endeavour   to   torment   this    young   woman.     M.   de 
Clermont,  persisting  in  his  attentions  and  his  curiosity,  told  us 
that  he  had  succeeded    in  ascertaining  her  history.     '  In  the 
quarter,'  he  told  us,  '  she  is  called  Madame  Brown.     She  resides 
near  the  Park,  whereevery  day  she  promenades  her  child,  a 


■ 


CHARLES   FERDINAND   DARTOIS,   DUC   DE   BERRY 

FROM    A   LITHOGRAPH    BY   DELPECH 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  67 

little  boy  from  six  to  seven  years  old,  on  whom  she  appears 
to  lavish  maternal  cares.  She  is  said  to  be  kind,  charitable, 
and  sweet,  but  always  reserved.'  We  were  unable  to  learn 
more  of  M.  de  Clermont,  who  appeared  to  become  mysterious, 
and  we  forgot  about  it. 

"  This  happened  about  the  time  of  the  wars  of  Russia  and 
Spain.  Some  years  later,  I  learned  that  Madame  de  Montsoreau 
and  the  Vicomte  d'Agoult  had  held  under  the  baptismal  font  a 
little  girl,  to  whom  they  gave  the  name  of  Charlotte.  Two 
years  later,  the  Duchesse  de  Coigny  was  godmother  to  another 
little  girl,  of  the  name  of  Louise.  The  Due  de  Berry  appeared 
to]  be  interested  in  these  children.  The  two  godmothers  were 
discreet ;  the  curious  public  was  unable  to  draw  any  information 
from  them.  Society,  as  well  as  my  daughters  and  myself,  was 
accustomed  to  see  them  at  the  house  of  the  Duchesse  de  Coigny 
and  Madame  de  Montsoreau.  They  were  carefully  brought  up, 
had  a  governess  who  taught  them  French,  and  spoke  English 
with  their  mother." 

The  name  of  the  lady  of  the  Opera  was  Amy  Brown — Mrs. 
Brown  she  called  herself — daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Brown, 
rector  of  All  Saints',  Maidstone,  in  which  parish  she  was  born 
on  April  8,  1784. 

Although  she  was  only  twenty-four  at  the  time  when 
Madame  de  Gontaut  first  saw  her,  she  was  already  the  mother 
of  four  children — three  boys  and  a  girl — who  shared  between 
them  three  different  patronymics  : 

(1)  John  Freeman,  without  doubt  the  little  boy  with  whom 
she  was  in  the  habit  of  walking  in  Hyde  Park,  born  in  1801  or 
1802. 

(2)  Robert  Freeman,  born  probably  in  1803. 

(3)  Emma  Georgiana  Marshall,  born  January  10,  1804. 

(4)  George  Thomas  Granville  Brown,  born  February  20, 
1805. 

The  two  daughters,  Charlotte  and  Louise,  of  whom  Madame 
de  Gontaut  speaks  were  born  respectively  on  July  18,  1808,  and 
December  19,  1809;  and  it  will  be  seen  from  their  baptismal 
certificates  that  the  Due  de  Berry  had  the  very  best  of  reasons 
for  taking  an  interest  in  the  little  girls  : 

Here  is  Charlotte's — 


68  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Extract  from  the  Register  of  Baptisms  of  the  Chapel  of 
His  Catholic  Majesty  i?i  London.1 

"To-day,  Saturday  30  November,  year  1809,  has  been  pre- 
sented a  girl  named  Charlotte  Marie  Augustine,  daughter  of 
Charles  Ferdinand  and  of  Amy  Brown,  who  has  been  christened 
the  18  July  year  1808,  by  the  Abbe  Chend,  at  the  French  Chapel 
in  King  Street,  and  I  have  attended  to  the  other  ceremonies  of 
the  baptism  ;  the  godfather,  the  Comte  Auguste  de  la  Ferronays, 
and  the  godmother,  Marie  Charlotte,  Comtesse  de  Montsoreau, 
who  have  signed  with  us  : — Comte  Auguste  de  la  Ferronays  ; 
M.  C.  F.  de  Nantouillet,  Comtesse  de  Montsoreau  ;  P.  A.  Massot, 
cure  of  Saint-Sylvain  de  Mortainville,  diocese  of  Bayeux,  and 
priest  sacristan  of  the  Chapel  of  His  Catholic  Majesty. 

"  Certified  the  present  extract,  taken  word  for  word  from  the 
register  of  baptisms  of  the  Chapel  of  H.  C.  M.  in  London,  the 
15  January  year  18 10 — P.  A.  Massot,  priest  sacristan  of  the 
chapel  of  His  Catholic  Majesty."  2 

And  here  is  Louise's — 

Extract  from  the  Register  of  Baptisms  of  the  Chapel  of 
His  Catholic  Majesty  in  London. 

"  To-day  Saturday,  thirtieth  December  eighteen  hundred  and 
nine,  has  been  baptized  by  me,  the  undersigned,  a  girl  named 
Louise  Marie  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Charles  Ferdinand  and  of 
Amy  Brown,  born  on  the  nineteenth  of  December  eighteen 
hundred  and  nine.  The  godfather,  Louis,  Baron  de  Roll,  and 
the  godmother,  Marie  Charlotte  Albertine,  Comtesse  de  la 
Ferronays,  who  have  signed  with  us. — Louis,  Baron  de  Roll ; 
M.  C.  A.  de  Montsoreau,  Comtesse  de  la  Ferronays ;  P.  A. 
Massot,  cure  of  Saint-Sylvain  de  Mortainville,  diocese  of  Bayeux, 
and  priest  sacristan  of  the  Chapel  of  His  Catholic  Majesty. 

"  Certified  the  present  extract  taken  word  for  word  from  the 
register  of  baptisms  of  the  chapel  of  His  Catholic  Majesty  in 
London,  this  15  January  year  18 10. 

"  Pierre  Alexis  Massot,  priest  sacristan  of  the  chapel  of  His 
Catholic  Majesty."  3 

1  Now  St.  James's,  Spanish  Place. 

2  Charles  Nauroy,  les  Secrets  des  Bourbons. 

3  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  les  En/ants  du  Due  de  Berry. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  69 

Charlotte  and  Louise  were,  of  course,  the  daughters  of  the 
Due  de  Berry ;  about  that  there  has  never  been  any  question  ; 
but  to  whom  ought  the  paternity  of  the  first  four  children  to  be 
ascribed  ?  The  two  elder  boys,  John  and  Robert,  bore  the 
patronymic  of  Freeman  ;  the  register  of  baptisms  of  the  parish 
of  St.  George's  Hanover  Square  informs  us  that  the  parents  of 
the  girl  Emma  Georgiana  were  George  and  Amy  Marshall  ;  ! 
while  the  death-certificate  of  George  Brown,  who  died  at  Mantes 
in  1882,  declares  him  to  have  been  the  son  of  George  and  Amy 
Brown.  Beyond  this  we  are  reduced  to  conjecture,  for  the  early 
life  of  the  fair  Amy  is  wrapped  in  impenetrable  mystery,  and  all 
attempts  to  establish  the  identity  of  these  gentlemen,  or  to 
discover  when  or  where  either  of  the  three  marriages  took  place, 
have  proved  futile.  That  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  a  woman 
could  already  be  the  mother  of  children  by  three  different 
husbands  is  extremely  improbable,  even  allowing  for  the  pos- 
sibilities of  divorce,  and  it  would  therefore  appear  that  one  at 
least  of  these  unions  must  have  been  an  illegitimate  one  ;  while 
the  fact  that  the  most  diligent  search  of  the  registers  of  Maid- 
stone and  all  the  London  parishes  has  been  absolutely  barren  of 
result  permits  us  to  doubt  if  there  ever  was  a  marriage  at  all. 

But  the  existence  of  three  lovers  previous  to  the  appearance 
of  the  Due  de  Berry  upon  the  scene  is  very  difficult  to  reconcile 
with  the  character  of  a  woman  whom  all  those  who  knew 
her  agree  in  representing  as  modest,  refined,  and  excessively 
reserved ;  and  some  writers  actually  assert  that  Freeman, 
Marshall,  and  Brown  were  one  and  the  same  person,  and  that 
that  person  was  the  Due  de  Berry. 

Extravagant  as  such  an  hypothesis  appears,  it  has  found 
advocates  who  might  be  supposed  to  speak  with  authority. 
John  and  Robert  Freeman  both  obtained  commissions  in  the 
British  Navy.  Robert  died  while  still  a  midshipman,  but  his 
elder  brother,  who  was  sent  to  the  West  Indian  station,  quitted 
the  Navy  to  engage  in  business,  and  amassed  a  comfortable 
fortune.  Returning  to  Europe,  after  a  residence  of  some  twenty 
years  in  the  West  Indies,  in  1841,  John  married,  at  Berne,  a 
Mile.  Juliette  de  Blonay,  a  member  of  a  noble  French  family 
residing  in  Switzerland.      The  Prince  de  Lucinge,  husband  of 

1  Nothing  is  known  of  Emma  Georgiana  Marshall,  beyond  the  fact  that  she 
married  a  Mr.  Joseph  Haigh,  a  gentleman  residing  at  Peckham.  She  died  in  1900, 
at  the  great  age  of  ninety-six. 


yo  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Charlotte  Brown,  the  elder  of  the  two  acknowledged  daughters 
of  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  after  the  death  of  the  duke  was  created 
Comtesse  d'Issoudun  by  Louis  XVIII.,  had  demanded  the 
young  lady's  hand  on  behalf  of  John  Freeman. 

While  engaged  upon  his  singularly  interesting  work,  les 
Enfants  du  Due  de  Berry,  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  put  himself 
into  communication  with  the  Baron  William  de  Blonay, 
brother  of  Mrs.  John  Freeman,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  be 
able  to  throw  some  light  upon  the  mystery  surrounding  his 
brother-in-law's  birth,  and  received  from  him  the  following  re- 
markable letter  : 

"  In  this  question  of  the  marriage  of  the  Due  de  Berry  with 
Amy  Brown,  what  I  can  certify,  is  that  when  the  Prince  de 
Lucinge,  an  honourable  and  loyal  man  if  there  was  one,  came  to 
demand  of  my  parents,  with  whom  he  was  on  very  intimate 
terms,  my  sister's  hand  for  M.  Freeman,  he  declared  to  them,  on 
his  honour,  that  the  latter  was  the  son  of  the  lawful  marriage  of 
the  Due  de  Berry  and  Madame  Brown,  and,  in  consequence,  the 
elder  brother  of  his  wife  and  Madame  de  Charette.1 

"  He  explained  how,  at  the  Restoration,  the  King  [Louis 
XVIII.]  had  refused  to  recognise  the  marriage,  on  account  of  the 
boys,  but  that  the  marriage  was  a  fact. 

"  I  also  heard  my  father  say  :  '  If  he  were  a  bastard,  I  should 
have  thought  twice  about  it  before  giving  my  consent ;  but  it  is 
clear  hat,  however  legal  this  marriage  was,  Louis  XVIII.  was 
unable  to  recognise  it,  which,  however,  does  not  prevent  it  from 
having  certainly  taken  place.'  "  2 

This  letter  raises  two  interesting  questions  :  (i)  Was  the 
Due  de  Berry  the  father  of  John  Freeman,  and  therefore  of  the 
other  three  elder  children  of  Amy  Brown,  since  it  has  never 
been  pretended  that  Amy  had  either  husband  or  lover  after  her 
connection  with  the  prince  began  ?  (2)  If  he  was,  were  the 
children  lawful  issue  ? 

The  good  faith  of  the  Prince  de  Lucinge  in  this  matter,  as 
the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  admits,  is  above  suspicion,  and  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  impenetrable  silence  which  Amy  Brown 

1  Louise  Brown.  She  was  created  Comtesse  de  Vierzon  by  Louis  XVIII.  in 
1820,  and  married  in  1827  Charles  Athanase  de  Charette,  Baron  de  la  Contrie. 

2  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  les  Enfa?its  du  Due  de  Berry. 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  71 

always  preserved  about  her  past,  and  the  mystery  which 
surrounded  it,  had  convinced  him  that  John  Freeman,  like  his 
wife,  was  the  child  of  the  Due  de  Berry.  It  is  very  evident, 
however,  that  the  Prince  de  Lucinge  cannot  have  compared 
dates  or  have  consulted  the  memoirs  of  the  contemporaries  of 
the  Due  de  Berry,  for  the  most  part  then  unpublished,  or  he 
would  have  seen  that  there  was  no  evidence  worthy  of  the  name 
to  justify  the  supposition  that  the  duke  had  even  so  much  as 
set  eyes  upon  Amy  Brown  previous  to  1807.  Writers  on  both 
sides,  indeed,  generally  reject  the  idea  that  the  duke  could  have 
been  the  father  of  the  Freemans  and  Emma  Georgiana  Marshall, 
but  great  efforts  have  been  made,  for  reasons  which  will  be 
sufficiently  obvious,  to  persuade  the  world  that  George  Brown 
was  the  elder  brother  of  the  Comte  de  Chambord  1  and  the 
legitimate  heir  to  the  throne  of  France. 

Let  us  see  how  this  legend  arose : 

Little  is  known  of  the  boyhood  of  George  Brown,  save  that 
when,  at  the  Restoration,  his  mother  and  his  sisters  Charlotte 
and  Louise  came  to  reside  in  Paris,  he  was  confided  to  the  care 
of  a  family  named  Beausejour,  living  at  Ouchy,  on  Lac  Leman. 
The  date  at  which  he  rejoined  his  mother  is  uncertain,  but  it 
was  probably  between  the  death  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  at  the 
beginning  of  1820,  and  the  autumn  of  1823,  when  he  entered  as 
a  pupil  the  military  school  of  Saint-Cyr.  At  Saint-Cyr,  he  made 
so  little  progress  in  his  studies  that,  at  the  end  of  a  year,  Amy 
Brown  decided  to  remove  him,  and,  as  it  was  then  the  rule  at 
the  school  that  pupils  who  had  failed  to  qualify  for  commissions, 
or  gave  little  hope  of  passing  their  examinations,  might,  if  their 
parents  desired,  enter  the  Army  as  non-commissioned  officers, 
he  was  appointed  quartermaster  in  the  4th  Chasseurs  a  cheval. 
George  Brown  joined  his  regiment  in  August  1825,  but,  five 
months  later,  he  was  discharged,  the  reason  entered  in  the 
regimental  register  being  that  he  was  not  a  naturalised  French- 
man. This  entry  was  made  in  order  to  spare  the  feelings  of  his 
mother,  for  the  true  reason  was  that  the  young  gentleman  had 
taken  French  leave  and  eloped  with  a  damsel  of  eighteen 
named  Julie  Lebeau,  the  daughter  of  a  couturier  in  the  Rue 
des  Filles  de  Saint-Thomas  in  Paris.     Julie  was  at  this  time 

1  Henri  Charles  Ferdinand  Dieudonne,  Due  de  Bordeaux,  afterwards  Comte  de 
Chambord,  only  son  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry,  born  in  Paris,  September  29, 
1820  ;  died  at  Frohsdorf,  August  24,  1883. 


72  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

employed  in  the  London  branch  of  her  father's  business, 
having  been  sent  to  England  to  get  her  out  of  the  way  of  her 
military  admirer,  who  carried  her  off  to  Italy,  where  he  took 
service  in  the  Neapolitan  army,  under  the  name  of  George 
Granville. 

In  Italy,  the  young  couple  remained  twelve  years  ;  during 
which  period  five  children  were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom, 
both  daughters,  lived  to  grow  up.  They  were  certainly  married, 
for,  though  no  marriage  certificate  has  been  discovered,  the 
Vicomte  de  Reiset  has  succeeded  in  tracing  the  baptismal 
certificate  of  the  children,  in  all  of  which  Julie  is  described  as 
the  wife  of  George  Granville. 

Early  in  1838,  after  a  severe  attack  of  cholera,  through  which 
his  wife  nursed  him  with  tender  devotion,  George  Brown  returned 
to  France  on  furlough,  on  a  visit  to  his  mother,  who  had  expressed 
a  great  desire  to  see  him.  Now,  in  the  eyes  of  the  French  law, 
his  marriage  was,  of  course,  null  and  void,  since  it  had  been 
contracted  when  both  the  parties  were  minors,  and  without  the 
consent  of  their  parents.  Taking  advantage  of  this  circumstance, 
Amy  Brown,  who  had  never  forgiven  Julie  for  having,  as  she 
considered,  entrapped  her  son  into  a  marriage  so  far  beneath 
that  to  which  he  might  have  aspired,  used  all  her  influence  to 
persuade  him  to  abandon  the  mother  of  his  children,  threatening, 
in  the  event  of  his  refusal,  to  discontinue  the  allowance  which 
she  had  hitherto  been  in  the  habit  of  making  him,  and  upon 
which  he  and  his  family  were  chiefly  dependent.  George, 
though  he  appears  to  have  been  a  well-meaning  kind  of  man, 
had  no  strength  of  character,  and,  after  some  resistance,  he 
meanly  consented.  Thereupon  his  mother,  determined  not  to 
give  him  leisure  to  repent  of  his  decision,  promptly  found  him 
another  wife,  in  the  person  of  Charlotte  Louise  Brown,  elder 
daughter  of  her  uncle  Joseph,  an  engineer  in  a  very  good  position 
in  England,  the  marriage  taking  place  in  London,  at  Marylebone 
Parish  Church,  on  July  12,  1838. 

Shortly  after  the  marriage,  the  unfortunate  Julie,  alarmed 
by  the  long  absence  and  silence  of  her  husband,  had  followed 
him  to  Paris.  When,  on  her  arrival,  she  learned  what  had 
occurred,  she  was  so  overcome  with  grief  that  her  mind  gave 
way,  and  for  two  years  she  had  to  be  confined  in  a  maison  de  saute"- 
Eventually,  she  recovered  her  reason,  accepted  the  situation  and 
a  moderate   pecuniary   compensation  from  Amy  Brown,  and 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  73 

went  to  live  with  her  two  daughters  at  Batignolles,  where  she 
kept  a  small  pension.1 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  faithless  George  Brown  and  his 
new  consort  had  taken  up  their  residence  at  Mantes-la- 
Jolie,  in  a  modest  house  in  the  Rue  Saint-Pierre,  now  the 
Avenue  de  la  Republique.  They  were  exceedingly  reserved 
and  lived  in  very  unpretentious  style,  only  keeping  one  servant  ; 
and  their  neighbours  were  therefore  a  good  deal  surprised  to  see 
arrive  from  time  to  time  two  handsome  young  women,  whose 
elegant  manners  and  exquisite  toilettes  proclaimed  them  to  be 
members  of  the  inner  circle  of  the  fashionable  world.  What  was 
the  more  singular,  was  that  these  grandes  dames  seemed  to  be 
on  the  most  familiar  and  affectionate  terms  with  their  host  and 
sometimes  stayed  at  his  house  for  several  days.  The  local 
gossips  naturally  did  not  rest  until  they  had  established  the 
identity  of  the  aristocratic  strangers  and  their  relationship  to 
their  fellow-citizens,  and  soon  discovered,  to  their  intense 
astonishment,  that  they  were  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the 
daughters  of  the  Due  de  Berry — the  Princesse  de  Lucinge  and 
the  Baronne  de  Charette — and  that  M.  Brown  was  their  brother  ! 
From  that  moment,  George  Brown  became  the  object  of  general 
curiosity,  for,  argued  the  worthy  Mantais,  if  his  sisters  were  the 
daughters  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  then  he  must  be  of  royal  origin 
too ;  and  straightway  they  began  to  perceive  in  him  a  most 
striking  resemblance  to  the  Bourbons,  both  physical  and  moral. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  nearly  forty  years  after  its  birth 
that  this  legend  entered  the  domain  of  history.  On  April  14, 
1877,  there  appeared  in  the  Tttegraphe  an  article  entitled  le  Frere 
du  Rot  and  signed  "  Nullus"  which  aroused  considerable 
sensation.  After  informing  his  readers  that  the  Due  de  Berry 
had  had  a  son  as  well  as  daughters  by  his  supposed  marriage 
with  Amy  Brown,  the  writer  proceeds  : 

"  Do  you  desire  a  final  testimony  ?  Come  with  me  to  Mantes- 
la- Jolie,  Rue  Saint-Pierre,  No.  7.  There,  ending  his  days  in 
obscurity,  is  the  descendant  of  the  Kings  of  France,  third  of 
the  lamentable  trilogy  which  begins  with  the  Iron  Mask  and 
continues  with  Louis  XVII.  The  Comte  de  Chambord  will 
not  long  survive  him,  and  the  two  brothers  will  be  reconciled  by 
death. 

"  In  this  little  town  there  exists  a  very  discreet  house,  into 

1  Les  Enfants  du  Due  de  Berry. 


74  A  PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

which  the  curious  never  penetrate  ;  and  there,  between  an  old 
man-servant  and  an  old  female  servant,  quite  alone,  receiving 
neither  friends  nor  relatives,  an  old  man  passes  his  life  in 
meditating  on  the  history  of  the  Restoration  before  a  large 
ivory  crucifix. 

"  When  he  goes  out,  every  one  uncovers  respectfully  before 
him.  He  is  a  man  still  vigorous,  with  a  haughty  carriage.  One 
would  say  that  it  was  Louis  XIV.  descended  from  his  frame. 
The  old  people  of  the  country  whisper  when  they  perceive  him : 
'  It  is  the  brother  of  the  Comte  de  Chambord ! ' " 

In  1882,  public  interest  in  the  "  child  of  mystery,"  as  George 
Brown  had  come  to  be  called,  was  further  stimulated  by  the 
publication  of  M.  Charles  Nauroy's  curious  work  les  Secrets  des 
Bourbons,  of  which  the  first  part  is  entitled  la  Premiere  femme 
du  Due  de  Berry.  In  this  volume,  the  learned  historian  pro- 
ceeded to  prove,  to  his  own  entire  satisfaction,  that  George 
Brown  was  the  son  of  the  Due  de  Berry  and  that  a  marriage 
had  been  celebrated  between  the  prince  and  Amy  Brown.  He 
did  not,  however,  go  so  far  as  to  assert  that  this  marriage  had 
taken  place  previous  to  George's  birth  (February  20,  1805),  but 
affirmed  that  it  was  celebrated  in  1806  at  the  French  Catholic 
Chapel  in  King's  Street,  Portman  Square,1  Amy  Brown  having 
abjured  the  Protestant  faith  two  years  before. 

In  proof  of  his  contention  that  George  Brown  was  the  son 
of  the  Due  de  Berry,  M.  Nauroy  was  unable  to  adduce  any 
evidence  beyond  local  gossip  and  the  "profit  bourbonien  "  of  the 
recluse  of  Mantes ;  but  that,  in  his  opinion,  was  quite  sufficient 
to  justify  his  pronouncing  him  to  be  the  elder  brother  of  the 
Comte  de  Chambord. 

George  Brown  was  still  alive  at  the  time  when  les  Secrets 
des  Bourbons  appeared,  though  he  died  a  few  weeks  later  (July 
2,  1882).  It  is  quite  likely  that  the  book  was  brought  under 
his  notice,  but,  if  so,  he  ignored  it,  being  very  probably  too  ill 
at  the  time  to  care  very  much  whose  son  he  was,  or  whether  he 
was  legitimate  or  no.  He  died,  taking  his  secret  with  him  to 
the  grave,  for  the  papers  which  he  left  behind  contained  nothing 
which  served  in  any  way  to  elucidate  the  mystery  of  his  birth. 

Twenty  years  after  George  Brown's  death,  interest  in  him 
was  revived  by  the  publication  of  a  brochure  entitled  Georges 

1  Now   the  Chapel  of  Saint-Louis  de  France,  Little   George  Street,  Portman 
Square. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  75 

Brown,  Vavant  dernier  Bo?irbon  by  M.  Grave,  archivist  of 
Mantes,  which  contained  some  interesting  details  concerning 
the  later  years  of  his  life.  The  author,  as  the  title  of  his  work 
indicates,  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  Bourbon  origin  of  his 
subject,  but  beyond  declaring  that  "he  bore  an  astonishing 
resemblance  to  Louis  XVI.,"  he  did  not  advance  any  reasons 
for  this  conviction.  There  is,  in  fact,  no  more  reason  for 
supposing  George  Brown  to  be  the  son  of  the  Due  de  Berry 
than  there  is  for  attributing  that  honour  to  the  Freemans  or 
Emma  Georgiana  Marshall,  since,  as  we  have  already  said,  no 
evidence  exists  that  the  prince  had  ever  seen  Amy  Brown  prior 
to  1807,  much  less  that  there  were  tender  relations  between 
them,  and  the  Comte  Auguste  de  la  Ferronays,  who  enjoyed  at 
this  time  his  entire  confidence,  declares  that  the  Due  de  Berry 
did  not  make  the  lady's  acquaintance  until  two  years  after  the 
birth  of  George  Brown.1 

It  may,  of  course,  be  objected  that  La  Ferronays  is  not  an 
impartial  witness,  and  that  his  devotion  to  the  Bourbons  may 
have  prevailed  over  his  regard  for  the  truth.  But  let  us  return 
for  a  moment  to  that  scene  at  the  Opera  in  London  described 
by  the  Duchesse  de  Gontaut : 

"A  young  La  Chastre  offered  her  [Amy  Brown]  one  day 
a  programme,  which  she  refused.  M.  de  Clermont-Lodeve, 
more  bold,  offered  her  a  bouquet ;  she  cast  on  him  a  look  of 
magnificent  disdain.  On  this  occasion,  we  remarked  the  rather 
cold  gravity  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  did  not  consider  it  good 
taste  to  endeavour  to  torment  this  young  woman." 

Nothing  appears  to  be  known  of  this  young  La  Chastre, 
but  the  Comte  de  Clermont-Lodeve  was  one  of  the  most 
intimate  friends  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  and  it  was  to  him  that 
the  prince  subsequently  addressed  several  confidential  letters 
containing  some  very  interesting  references  to  Amy  Brown  and 
his  little  daughters,  of  which  we  shall  have  something  to  say 
presently.  Such  being  the  case,  it  is  obvious  that  if  at  the  time 
of  which  the  Duchesse  de  Gontaut  speaks  the  liaison  had 
already  begun,  Clermont-Lodeve  would  have  known  about  it, 
since  the  prince  was  never  celebrated  for  his  discretion,  and  his 
various  gallantries  seem  to  have  been  common  knowledge  among 
those  who  were  far  less  in  his  confidence  than  the  count.     Can 

'  Marquis  de  Costa  de  Beauregard,  En  Emigration  ;  Souvenirs  tires  des  papiers  du 
Comte  Angicste  de  la  Ferronays. 


?6  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

we  then  suppose  it  possible  that  Clermont-Lodeve  would  have 
been  so  presumptuous  as  to  endeavour  to  force  his  attentions 
upon  a  lady  who  was  beloved  or  even  admired  by  the  Due  de 
Berry,  or  that  the  latter — one  of  the  most  violent-tempered  of 
men — would  have  contemplated  his  and  La  Chastre's  unsuccess- 
ful attempts  to  trespass  upon  his  property  merely  "  with  a 
rather  cold  gravity  "  ? 

Notwithstanding  the  rebuff  which  he  had  received,  the 
Duchesse  de  Gontaut  tells  us  M.  de  Clermont  persisted  in  his 
attentions  and  his  curiosity,  and  at  length  succeeded  in  ascertain- 
ing the  history  of  the  fair  inconnue.  He  communicated  certain 
facts  concerning  the  lady  to  Madame  de  Gontaut  and  her 
daughters,  but  they  were  unable  to  extract  any  further  information 
from  him,  and  "  he  appeared  to  them  to  become  mysterious." 

"  It  is  evident,"  observes  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  "  that 
Madame  de  Gontaut's  narrative  gives  us  the  precise  moment 
of  the  meeting.  The  prince  has  remarked  Amy ;  he  has  been 
struck  by  her  beauty,  attracted  by  her  charm  ;  and,  in  spite 
of  himself,  although  he  has  never  perhaps  addressed  to  her 
a  single  word,  he  is  jealous  and  annoyed  at  the  attempts  which 
he  sees  made.  But  his  heart  is  only  beginning  to  be  captivated, 
and  he  has,  in  consequence,  been  unable  to  make  Clermont  the 
confidant  of  an  inclination  of  which  he  is  still  in  ignorance. 
The  latter  seeks  information  on  his  own  account,  ascertains 
the  name  and  manner  of  life  of  the  unknown  lady,  and  informs 
people  of  his  discoveries.  Then,  all  of  a  sudden,  he  becomes 
mysterious  ;  he  is  silent.  .  .  .  The  Due  de  Berry  has  confided 
to  him  the  secret  of  his  love,  of  which,  perhaps,  the  episode 
of  the  bouquet  has  been  the  determinate  cause."  x 

Few,  we  imagine,  will  be  inclined  to  quarrel  with  the  writer's 
conclusions,  which  seem  to  dispose  very  effectually  not  only 
of  the  fiction  concerning  the  paternity  of  George  Brown,  but 
also  of  the  contention  of  M.  Nauroy  and  other  partisans  of  the 
marriage  that  this  event  took  place  in  1806.2 

1  Les  Enfants  du  Due  de  Berry. 

2  The  hypothesis  that  the  supposed  marriage  took  place  in  1806  is  the  more 
improbable,  since  we  learn  from  the  Souvenirs  of  La  Ferronays  that  at  this  date  the 
Due  de  Berry  was  enamoured  of  a  certain  Mile.  Victorine,  "  une  jille  du  plus  has 
e'tage,"  and  that  one  day,  being  apparently  short  of  ready  money,  he  ordered  his 
?naitre  d ^  hotel  to  pack  up  all  his  silver  plate  and  send  it  to  the  lady.  Is  this,  it  may 
well  be  asked,  the  conduct  of  a  man  who  has  just  married,  or  was  about  to  marry, 
another  woman  ? 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  77 

But  the  futility  of  both  these  hypotheses  is  even  more  clearly 
demonstrated  by  the  letters  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to  the  Comte 
de  Clermont-Lodeve,  of  which  we  have  already  spoken.  These 
letters — or  rather  certain  passages  from  them — were  communi- 
cated to  the  Temps,  in  August,  1902,  by  the  Marquis  de  Luppe, 
in  whose  possession  they  then  were,  with  the  object  of  refuting 
the  pretensions  advanced  by  M.  Grave,  in  his  Georges  Brown, 
I'avant  dernier  Bourbon,  on  behalf  of  that  personage.  Here  is 
the  marquis's  letter : 

"  Chateau  de  Beaurepaire, 
"  Pont-Saint-Maxence, 
"  Oise, 
"  August  27,  1902. 

"  Monsieur, 

"  From  a  correspondence  of  the  Due  de  Berry  with 
the  Comte  de  Clermont-Lodeve,  correspondence  which  extends 
from  1805-18 13  [the  italics  are  ours],  and  which  is  to  be 
found  in  my  archives,  I  extract  the  following  passages  ;  the 
only  ones  which  relate  to  his  first  marriage  [the  italics  are  our 
own], 

"London,  April  14,  1809. 

"  I  have  just  come  from  playing  tennis,  as  badly  as  usual. 
It  is  my  only  pleasure,  for  I  no  longer  have  any  horses ;  the 
loss  of  the  pension  from  Spain  and  a  little  daughter  who  arrived 
last  summer  [the  italics  are  the  Marquis  de  Luppe's]  having 
deprived  me  of  the  means.  I  pass  my  life  with  my  good  Emma  x 
[the  italics  are  ours]  whom  I  love  dearly,  and  I  am  very 
happy.  My  little  daughter  is  very  pretty,  and  interests  me 
greatly,  as  you  can  imagine. 

"January  8,  1 8 10. 

u  London  is  quite  as  gloomy  as  thou  hast  seen  it,  but,  except 
when  I  go  to  Hart-Well  (sic),  I  live  in  my  little  home.  Another 
daughter  was  born  on  the  igth  of  last  month  [the  italics  are  the 
Marquis  de  Luppe's].     So  I  have  two  of  them. 

"October  30,  iSll. 

"  .  .  My  invasion  of  the  (sic)  Staffordshire  passed  off  very 
well.      I  killed  enough  game  and  won  a  few  pounds  at  quinze  ; 

1  Amy  Brown. 


78  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

but  I  have  not  been  less  pleased  to  find  myself  again  in  my 
little  home,  where  thou  knowest  how  happy  I  am. 


"November  28,  1812. 

"...  But  I  have  been  very  pleased  to  find  myself  once  more 
in  my  dear  little  home  and  to  see  again  my  dear  little  daughters 
[the  italics  are  the  Marquis  de  Luppe's]  and  their  good  mother 
[the  italics  are  ours].  It  seems  to  be  that  I  have  only  returned 
this  morning,  so  quickly  does  the  time  pass. 

"January  8,  1813. 

"...  They  have  been  very  unhappy,  having  lost  one 
daughter,  and  having  been  anxious  about  the  other  for  nearly 
two  months,  for  it  is  only  during  the  last  three  days  that  she  is 
really  better.  Her  father  has  sat  up  with  her  every  night.  I 
can  appreciate  what  they  have  experienced  through  the 
sentiments  which  I  entertain  for  my  dear  little  daughters  [the  italics 
are  the  Marquis  de  Luppe's]  as  well  as  for  their  good  mother 
[the  italics  are  ours],  who  makes  the  happiness  of  my  life. 

"June  1,  1813. 

"...  I  am  better  and  the  fine  weather  will  quite  re- 
establish my  health.  My  children  and  their  mother,  are  well 
[the  italics  are  ours]  and  I  am  very  happy,  desiring  nothing 
beyond  my  dear  little  house." 


"  According  to  the  death-certificate  of  M.  Brown  which  you 
have  published,  he  was  born  in  1805  ;  so  he  was  living  at  the 
time  when  the  prince  wrote  these  lines. 

"  Well,  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  speaks  with  so  much 
affection  of  his  wife  and  his  daughters,  makes  no  allusion  to  the 
existence  of  a  son.  It  appears  to  me  reasonable  to  conclude 
that  this  was  because  he  did  not  have  one. 

"  Believe  me,  Monsieur,  etc. 

"  Marquis  de  Luppe  " 

There  are  two  points  to  observe  here,  besides  that  upon 
which  the  marquis  lays  stress.     The  first  is  that,  though  the 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  79 

Due  de  Berry  speaks  of  his  children  as  "  his  dear  little  daughters" 
he  calls  Amy  Brown  "  my  good  Emma  "  or  "  their  good  mother," 
never  "  my  wife."  We  ishall  return  to  this  presently.  The 
second — which  by  the  way,  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  who  has  not 
published  the  Marquis  de  Luppe's  letter,  but  merely  the  passages 
which  he  cites,  has  singularly  enough  overlooked — is  that,  in  a 
correspondence  extending  from  1805-13,  no  reference  to  Amy 
Brown  is  to  be  found  earlier  than  April  14,  1809.  Is  it  con- 
ceivable that  if  the  prince  and  Amy  had  been  married  in 
1806,  as  M.  Nauroy  asserts,  that  the  letters  of  that  and  the 
two  following  years  should  contain  no  reference  whatever  to 
the  lady  ? 

The  hypothesis  of  a  marriage  in  1806  is  clearly  as  untenable 
as  that  of  the  Bourbon  origin  of  George  Brown.  However,  it  is, 
of  course,  quite  possible  that  it  may  have  been  celebrated  at  a 
later  date,  and  that  Amy  Brown  did  become  the  wife  of  the  Due 
de  Berry  and  that,  at  the  Restoration,  Louis  XVIII.  persuaded 
Pius  VII.  to  annul  the  marriage,  on  the  ground  that  it  had  been 
contracted  without  his  Majesty's  consent,  is  a  tradition  which, 
thanks  in  a  great  measure  to  its  acceptance  by  the  compilers  of 
encyclopaedias  and  biographical  dictionaries,1  has  become  so 
firmly  established  that  it  will  perhaps  survive  even  the  result  of 
recent  investigations. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  however,  that  the  balance  of 
authoritative  contemporary  opinion  is  against  the  marriage. 
Chateaubriand  refers  to  the  Due  de  Berry's  connection  with  Amy 
Brown  as  "  one  of  those  liaisons  which  religion  reprobates  and 
which  human  fragility  excuses."  Nettement  calls  it  "  a  union 
which  religion  had  not  consecrated."  The  Baron  Thiebault 
speaks  of  Amy  Brown  as  the  Due  de  Berry's  "  femme  de  la  main 
gauche!'  The  Due  de  Broglie  calls  the  Princesse  de  Lucinge 
and  Madame  de  Charette  the  prince's  "  two  natural  daughters." 
The  Baron  de  Mesnard  describes  them  as  his  "  two  natural 
children."  Finally,  the  Comtesse  de  Boigne,  whose  long 
residence  in  England,  where  her  father,  the  Marquis  d'Osmond, 
was  Ambassador,  gave  her  exceptional  facilities  for  learning  all 
that  was  known  there  about  the  matter,  and  who  was,  besides, 
on  intimate  terms  with  many  distinguished  e'migresy  including 

1  Among  these  works  may  be  mentioned  the  Encyclopedic  des  gens  du  monde 
(1830),  the  Nouvelle  biographie  g'enerale  of  Didot,  the  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  the 
Grande  Encyclopedic,  and  the  New  International  Encyclopedia. 


80  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

several  members  of  the  Due  de  Berry's  entourage,  declares,  in  a 
letter  written  in  1861  to  Chancellor  Pasquier,  that  she  was 
"  firmly  convinced  that  the  Due  de  Berry  had  never  presented 
himself  at  the  altar  with  any  other  woman  than  the  Princess 
Caroline  of  Naples." 


CHAPTER   VII 

Evidence  upon  which  the  partisans  of  marriage  rely  to  establish  their  claim — The 
death-certificate  of  Amy  Brown — The  letters  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to  the  Comte  de 
Clermont-Lodeve — Inability  of  M.  Nauroy  and  his  supporters  to  produce  any 
documentary  evidence  of  the  smallest  value — Two  wills  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  executed 
in  1810  and  1817,  held  by  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  to  be  an  unanswerable  proof  that 
the  prince  had  never  contracted  a  marriage  with  Amy  Brown — His  conclusions 
considered — Return  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to  France  at  the  Restoration — Amy  Brown 
and  his  little  daughter  follow  him  to  Paris— Episode  at  the  Opera — The  Due  de 
Berry  visits  Amy  incognito — The  danseuse  Virginie  Oreille  becomes  the  mistress  of 
the  prince — "  The  Amours  of  Paul  and  Virginie  " — The  violent  language  of  the  Due 
de  Berry  towards  the  officers  under  his  command  contributes  to  alienate  the  Army 
from  the  Bourbons — The  Due  de  Berry  and  Virginie  during  the  Hundred  Days — 
Conduct  of  the  prince  after  the  Second  Restoration. 

BUT  let  us  see  what  is  the  evidence  upon  which  the 
partisans  of  the  marriage  chiefly  rely  to  establish 
their  case.  Well,  in  the  first  place,  there  is  the  death- 
certificate  of  Amy  Brown,  with  which  M.  Nauroy  makes  great 
play.  Amy  Brown  died  on  May  7,  1876,  at  the  Chateau  of  la 
Contrie,  commune  of  Couffe,  Loire-Inferieure,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-three,  and  her  acte  de  dices  was  as  follows  : — 

"  Extract  from  the  registers  of  the  Commune  of  Couffe, 
Year  1876. 

"The  Year  1876,  the  7th  of  May,  at  mid-day,  before  us,  Henri 
Poupet,  mayor,  officer  of  the  civil  state  of  the  commune  of  Couffe, 
canton  of  Ligne,  department  of  the  Loire-Inferieure,  have 
appeared  :  Mace,  Pierre,  aged  fifty-six  years,  servant  at  the 
Chateau  of  la  Contrie,  commune  of  Couffe,  and  Ouvrard,  Louis, 
aged  twenty-nine  years,  schoolmaster  at  Couffe,  both  neighbours 
of  the  defunct,  who  have  declared  to  us  that  this  morning,  at 
five  o'clock,  Amy  Brown,  aged  ninety-three  years,  born  at  Maid- 
stone, county  of  Kent  (England)  life  tenant  of  the  said  Chateau 
of  la  Contrie,  daughter  of  the  defunct  Joseph  Brown  and  Marie 
Anne  Deacon,  widow  of  Charles  Ferdinand,  is  deceased  in  her 
house,  as  we  have  assured  ourselves.  The  present  certificate 
g  81 


82  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

having  been  read  over  to  the  witnesses,  we  have  signed  with 
them,  the  same  day,  month,  and  year. 

Signed  :  P.  Mace,  L.  Ouvrard,  and  Poupet."  ' 

This  deed  is  regarded  by  M.  Nauroy,  who  is  obviously  very 
proud  indeed  of  his  discovery,  as  an  irrefutable  proof  of  the 
marriage. 

"  Widow  of  Charles-Ferdinand  !  "  he  exclaims.  "  What 
scruple,  what  secret  prevision,  has  prevented  the  addition  of 
Berry,  of  Bourbon,  of  Artois,  or  of  France  ?  What  does  it  matter  ? 
Circumstance  rare  with  a  woman,  she  who  is  called  Madame 
Brown  has  survived  her  marriage  three-quarters  of  a  century, 
her  husband  more  than  half  a  century,  and  the  second  wife  of  the 
latter  six  years,  and  never  a  complaint,  a  protest,  from  her 
during  her  lifetime.  Only  from  a  dull  collection  of  the  civil 
deeds  of  an  obscure  commune  a  posthumous  protest  emerges, 
the  truth,  so  long  concealed,  disengages  itself  at  last,  and  it 
is  we,  who  have  never  seen  this  unhappy  woman,  who  have 
discovered  it  and  brought  it  to  light." 2 

In  point  of  fact,  it  is  no  proof  at  all,  for,  though  M.  Nauroy 
evidently  intends  us  to  believe  that,  before  her  death,  Amy 
Brown  had  given  instructions  that  the  words  "  widow  of  Charles 
Ferdinand "  were  to  be  inserted  in  the  certificate,  nothing 
authorises  such  a  supposition.  On  the  other  hand,  as  the 
Vicomte  de  Reiset  and  M.  La  Resie,3  both  point  out,  Amy 
Brown  died  in  a  place  where  her  younger  daughter,  Madame  de 
Charette,  and  her  children  possessed  great  influence,  and  the 
mayor  no  doubt  inscribed  on  the  registers  what  was  dictated  to 
him,  without  thinking  for  a  single  moment  of  disputing  it.  If 
the  Charettes  preferred,  very  naturally,  to  regard  themselves  as 
the  descendants  of  a  marriage  rather  than  of  a  liaison,  the  worthy 
M.  Poupet,  who  was  very  possibly  one  of  their  tenants,  was 
certainly  not  prepared  to  argue  the  matter  with  them  and  risk 
their  displeasure  by  denying  to  their  relative — a  lady  whom  all 
the  neighbourhood  had  respected — the  honour  which  they  claimed 
for  her.     Hence,  the  only  value  of  this  document  to  which  M. 

1  M.  Charles  Nauroy,  les  Secrets  des  Bourbons  (1882).  This  deed  had  been 
published  by  the  author  two  years  earlier,  in  a  little  brochure,  entitled  le  Premier 
manage  du  due  de  Berry  prouve  par  document  authentique. 

"•  Le  Premier  mariage  du  due  de  Berry  prouve  par  document  authentique  (1880). 

3  M.  La  Resie,  Demi- Bourbons,  Carnet,  December,  1902. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  83 

Nauroy  attaches  so  much  importance  is  to  show  that  the 
Charettes,  like  the  Lucinges,  believed  in  the  marriage. 

The  letters  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to  the  Comte  de  Clermont- 
Lodeve,  published,  as  we  have  seen,  with  the  object  of  refuting 
the  allegation  that  George  Brown  was  the  prince's  son,  have 
been  claimed  by  the  partisans  of  the  marriage  as  fresh  evidence 
of  the  truth  of  their  contention.  They  point  triumphantly  to 
the  tender  and  respectful  manner  in  which  the  Due  de  Berry 
speaks  of  Amy,  to  the  fact  that  they  were  actually  living  under 
the  same  roof,  and  to  the  happiness  which  the  prince  seemed 
to  find  in  his  "  cher  petit  menage?  They  argue  that  the  existence 
of  this  interesting  establishment  must  have  been  well  known  to 
many  persons  besides  his  correspondent,  and  that  Louis  XVIII. 
and  the  Comte  d'Artois  could  not  have  been  ignorant  of  it,1  and 
ask  whether  the  prince  would  have  ventured  to  live  thus  openly 
with  a  lady  unless  under  the  sanction  of  the  Church. 

Well,  a  good  many  men,  even  in  exalted  positions,  have 
"  kept  house  "  with  their  inamoratas  without  its  being  regarded 
as  a  serious  presumption  in  favour  of  marriage,  and  the  conduct 
of  the  Due  de  Berry  after  the  Restoration,  and  even  after  his 
marriage  with  the  Princess  Caroline,  when  a  good  deal  more 
discretion  was  expected  of  him  than  during  his  residence  in 
England,  certainly  does  not  point  to  any  great  regard  for  les 
convenances ;  or  for  the  susceptibilities  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  his 
father,  though  the  recollection  of  the  latter's  own  "  goings  on  " 
with  Madame  de  Polastron 2  were  still  too  fresh  in  people's 
minds  to  have  made  it  very  easy  for  him  to  remonstrate  with 
his  son.     Nor,  if  his  letters  testify  to  a  very  warm  attachment 

1  See  a  letter,  la  Verite  sur  le  mariage  du  due  de  Berry,  signed  XXX.  in  the 
Figaro,  September  15,  1902. 

2  Marie  Louise  Franchise  d'Esparbes  de  Lussan.  Having  had  the  misfortune  to 
marry  the  Comte  de  Polastron,  "a  nonentity  who  played  the  violin,"  she  became 
the  mistress  of  the  Comte  d'Artois,  and,  when  the  Revolution  broke  out,  followed 
the  prince  to  Turin,  and  afterwards  lived  with  him  in  Scotland  and  England.  She 
died  of  consumption  in  London  on  March  27,  1804.  On  her  deathbed,  she  made 
Monsieur,  who  had  loved  her  passionately  to  the  last,  take  a  solemn  oath,  in  the 
presence  of  his  almoner,  the  Abbe  de  Latil,  that  "after  her,  he  would  love  no  one 
but  God."  This  oath  he  faithfully  observed.  A  few  weeks  after  his  mistress's 
death,  the  prince  wrote  to  his  friend,  the  Comte  de  Vaudreuil :  "  I  have  no  longer 
anything  on  earth,  neither  object,  nor  desire,  nor  hope,  nor  even  any  feeling.  She 
used  to  reunite  everything ;  she  used  to  animate  everything  for  me,  and  her  death 
has  broken  all  the  links  of  my  heart,  my  soul,  and  my  mind."  Unfortunately,  the 
Due  de  Berry  was  incapable  of  anything  approaching  such  fidelity  as  this. 


84  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  regard  for  Amy,  do  they  contain  a  single  word  which  allows 
us  to  suppose  that  their  connection  was  anything  more  than  an 
ordinary  liaison  ;  indeed,  the  fact  that  he  never  refers  to  the 
lady  as  his  wife  would  appear  to  indicate  the  contrary. 

There  is,  however,  another  letter  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to 
Clermont-Lodeve,  which,  since  it  had  no  bearing  on  the  question 
of  George  Brown,  was  not  among  those  cited  in  the  Temps,  but 
was  subsequently  communicated  by  the  Marquis  de  Luppe  to 
the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  and  published  by  the  latter  in  les  Enfants 
die  due  de  Berry.  This  letter,  which  is  dated  August  26,  18 10,  is 
evidently  in  answer  to  one  in  which  Clermont-Lodeve  had 
suggested  to  his  royal  friend  a  marriage  between  him  and  Mile. 
d'Orleans,  sister  of  Louis-Philippe.1  "  Thou  dost  send  me 
word,"  writes  the  prince,  "  that  thou  wouldst  wish  that  I  was  in 
love  with  Mademoiselle ;  but,  on  thy  conscience,  dost  thou 
believe  that  I  could  present  as  a  sister  to  the  daughter  of 
Louis  XVI.2  that  of  his  assassin  ?  "  3 

This  seems  to  be  a  pretty  conclusive  argument  that,  at  any 
rate,  so  late  as  the  summer  of  18 10,  the  connection  between  the 
Due  de  Berry  and  Amy  Brown  had  not  been  regularized,  for 
no  one  can  suppose  that  Clermont-Lodeve  would  have  suggested 
to  the  duke  an  alliance  with  Mile.  d'Orleans,  if  he  had  been 
already  married. 

The  closer  the  so-called  evidence  in  favour  of  the  marriage 
is  examined,  the  weaker  does  it  become.  It  is  perfectly  futile 
for  its  partisans  to  cite  the  opinions  of  the  Lucinges  and  the 
Charettes,  who  can  hardly  be  supposed  to  view  the  matter  from 
an  impartial  standpoint,  or  those  of  Ministers  and  officials  of 
the  July  Monarchy,  the  Second  Empire,  and  the  Third  Republic, 
who  had  the  strongest  possible  reason  for  desiring  to  cast  doubt 
upon  the  legitimacy  of  the  Comte  de  Chambord,  or  to  assert 
that  "Madame  Brown  was  received  in  the  Faubourg  Saint- 
Germain,  not  as  if  she  had  been  the  mistress  of  the  prince,  but  as 
a  legitimate  spouse  from  whom  reasons  of  State  had  obliged 
him  to  separate  ; " i  just  as  though  the  Faubourg  Saint- 
Germain  might  have  been  expected  to  turn  its  aristocratic  back 

1  Louise  Marie  Adelaide  Eugenie,  Mile.  d'Orleans,  better  known  under  the  name 
of  Madame  Adelaide. 

2  The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme. 

3  Philippe  Egalite. 

4  Intermidiarc  da  Cher  chairs  et  Curieux,  December  ic,  1902. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  85 

upon  the  mother  of  the  Princesse  de  Lucinge  and  the  Baronne 
de  Charette,  two  of  its  own  acknowledged  leaders  ! 

What  is  required  to  establish  a  claim  such  as  this,  are  not 
opinions,  but  documentary  evidence,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
the  death-certificate  of  Amy  Brown,  of  which  the  worthlessness 
has  been  shown,  and  the  letters  of  the  Due  de  Berry  to 
Clermont-Lodeve,  which  the  defenders  of  the  marriage  would 
have  done  better  to  ignore,  there  is  none  forthcoming. 

Where  is  the  certificate  of  the  marriage  which  is  declared  to 
have  taken  place  in  the  French  Chapel  in  King  Street,  or,  as 
some  writers  assert,  in  what  is  now  St.  James's,  Spanish  Place  ? 
It  has  "  disappeared."  x 

Where  is  the  brief  which,  according  to  M.  Nauroy,  was 
issued  by  Pius  VII.  "annulling  the  marriage,  but  declaring  the 
two  daughters  born  from  it  legitimate  ? "    It  has  "  disappeared."  2 

Where  is  the  correspondence  which  must  have  taken  place 
between  the  Courts  of  France  and  Naples,  on  the  one  side,  and 
between  the  former  and  the  Vatican,  on  the  other,  when  "  the 
Neapolitan  Government,  before  according  the  hand  of  Marie- 
Caroline,  insisted  on  the  proof  of  the  annulation  by  the  Pope  of 
the  first  marriage  ?  "  3     It  has  "  disappeared." 

No  effort  has  been  spared  to  discover  these  documents,  and 

1  In  the  celebrated  action  brought  in  1861  by  the  son  of  Jerome  Bonaparte's 
marriage  with  Elizabeth  Patterson,  of  Baltimore,  against  his  half-brother,  the  Prince 
Napoleon,  Maitre  Alloa,  counsel  for  the  petitioner,  who  sought  to  assimilate  the 
Bonaparte-Patterson  union  to  the  pretended  marriage  of  the  Due  de  Berry  with  Amy 
Brown,  declared  that  the  registers  of  King  Street  had  been  tampered  with  and  the 
certificate  abstracted.  The  Abbe  Tourzel,  the  chaplain,  having  been  communicated 
with  by  the  defence,  denied  that  there  was  the  slightest  justification  for  such  an 
assertion.  His  statement  has,  within  recent  years,  been  confirmed  by  his  nephew, 
Monsignor  Louis  Tourzel,  the  present  chaplain,  who  writes,  under  date  April  II, 
1904,  to  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset :  "  Our  registers  of  King  Street  do  not  bear  any 
trace  of  mutilation,  and  the  leaves  are  numbered.  An  abstraction  appears  to  be 
improbable." 

2  Pius  VII.,  it  may  be  here  observed,  was  the  same  Pontiff  who  had  had  the 
courage  to  resist  Napoleon  when  at  the  height  of  his  power  and  to  refuse  to  annul  his 
childless  marriage  with  Josephine.  It  is,  therefore,  in  the  highest  degree  improbable 
that  he  would  have  shown  himself  more  complaisant  in  the  case  of  a  marriage  from 
which  children  had  been  born. 

Further,  the  Holy  See  had  never  recognised  the  right  claimed  by  the  Kings  of 
France  over  the  marriages  of  the  princes  of  their  House,  and  Louis  XIII.  had 
solicited  in  vain  from  Urban  VIII.  the  annulation  of  the  marriage  of  his  brother 
Gaston,  Due  d'Orleans,  with  Marguerite  of  Lorraine,  which  had  been  contracted 
without  his  consent. 

3  Les  Secrets  des  Bourbons. 


86  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

every  assistance  has  been  rendered  the  partisans  of  the 
marriage  by  the  French  Government,1  which,  on  at  least  one 
occasion,  is  believed  to  have  instituted  researches  on  its  own 
account.  But  no  trace  of  them  is  to  be  found,  and  the  registers 
of  the  French  Chapel  in  London,  and  of  St.  James's,  Spanish 
Place,  the  archives  of  the  French  Foreign  Office,  the  Vatican 
archives,  and  the  diplomatic  archives  of  Naples  have  all  alike 
been  drawn  blank. 

If,  however,  M.  Nauroy  and  his  supporters  have  no  docu- 
mentary evidence  of  any  value  to  which  they  can  point,  this  is 
not  the  case  with  those  who  deny  the  existence  of  the  marriage. 
Shortly  before  the  publication  of  les  Enfants  du  due  de  Berry, 
the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  received  an  invitation  from  the  Duke  of 
Parma  to  visit  him  at  Scherzau,  in  Austria.  This  prince  had,  it 
appeared,  been  greatly  annoyed  by  the  publication  of  the  letter 
in  the  Figaro  of  September  15,  1902,  signed  XXX.,  of  which  we 
have  spoken  elsewhere,  and  the  appearance  of  a  fantastic 
brochure  entitled  le  Premier  mariage  du  due  de  Berry  a  Londres, 
by  an  author  who  wrote  under  the  pseudonym  of  the  Comte  de 
Rorch'  Yantel,  and  learning  that  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  was 
engaged  upon  a  work  intended  to  clear  the  memory  of  the  Due 
de  Berry  from  the  reproach  of  bigamy,  he  had  determined  to 
communicate  to  him  certain  documents  which,  he  believed, 
would  destroy  once  and  for  all  a  legend  which  had  been  the 
cause  of  so  much  unpleasantness  to  the  descendants  of  the 
Princess  Caroline. 

The  documents  in  question  which  have  been  published, 
together  with  facsimiles,  by  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  in  an 
appendix  to  his  work,  were  two  oleograph  wills  made  by  the 
Due  de  Berry,  the  first  dated  May  9,  1810,  during  his  residence 
in  England;  the  second,  September  5,  1817,  that  is  to  say 
about  a  year  after  his  marriage  with  the  Princess  Caroline. 

The  text  of  the  first  will  was  as  follows : 


1  "At  my  request,  supported  by  the  Marquis  de  Noailles,  our  Ambassador 
to  the  King  of  Italy,  Signor  Cairoli,  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  has  caused 
researches  to  be  instituted  in  the  diplomatic  archives  of  Naples,  and  it  results,  from 
the  answer  which  has  been  transmitted  to  me  both  by  M.  de  Noailles  and  by  the 
Italian  consul,  that  the  correspondence  has  disappeared.  On  the  other  hand,  M.  de 
Freycinet,  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  has  caused  researches  to  be  made  in  the 
diplomatic  archives  of  France,  and  it  has  been  stated  that  the  papers  have  disappeared. 
But  the  documents  of  which  I  signal  the  disappearance  still  exist,  and  history  will 
certainly  know  them." — M.  Charles  Nauroy,  les  Secrets  des  Bourbons. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  87 

"  In  the  event  of  sudden  death,  I  declare  the  two  daughters 
whose  baptismal  certificates  are  annexed,1  to  be  my  natural 
children.  I  nominate  as  their  tutors  the  Baron  de  Roll  and  the 
Comte  de  la  Ferronays. 

"  London,  May  9,  1810. 

"  Charles  Ferdinand 
"  Due  de  Bern",  grandson  of  France  " 

The  second  was  thus  conceived  : 

"  In  the  event  of  my  dying  without  executing  another 
deed,  my  will  is  that  my  private  property,  principally  my 
pictures,  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  my  natural  daughters, 
Charlotte  and  Louise,  daughters  of  Mme.  Brown,  and  a  fifth  of 
the  sum  for  the  benefit  of  Charles,  my  natural  son  by  Virginie 
Oreille.2  The  70,000  francs  in  my  portfolio  will  be  divided 
between  the  two  mothers  of  my  said  children. 

"  Elysee,  September  5,  18 17. 

"Charles  Ferdinand" 

In  the  opinion  of  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  these  two  wills  are 
"  evident  and  unanswerable  proof  that  the  Due  de  Berry  had 
never  been  married  before  espousing  the  princess  of  the  Two 
Sicilies."  "  The  daughters  whom  he  had  by  Amy  Brown,"  he 
continues,  "  are  natural  children,  like  the  son  whom  he  had  by 
Virginie  Oreille ;  and,  if  he  favours  the  two  first  from  the 
pecuniary  point  of  view,  he  does  not  the  less  place  them  on  the 
same  footing  from  the  point  of  view  of  their  origin,  in  giving 
them  all  three  the  same  qualification.  The  advantage  accorded 
to  the  two  mothers  is  identical  for  each,  and  the  sum  which  is 
bequeathed  to  them  is  equally  divided. 

"If  it  is  sought  to  pretend,  in  regard  to  the  will  of  1817, 
that  his  marriage  with  Marie-Caroline  compelled  the  Due  de 
Berry  to  dissimulate,  even  in  a  deed  of  this  nature,  the  legiti- 
mate situation  of  his  daughters,  this  is  an  argument  which  the 
testament  of  18 10,  written  at  a  time  when  he  was  not  con- 
strained to  any  discretion,  would  come  to  destroy.  Poor  exile 
in  18 10,  or  prince  all-powerful  in  18 17,  he  has  employed  the 
same  terms  in  speaking  of  his  daughters." 

1  Only  one  certificate,  that  of  the  future  Baronne  de  Charette,  was  enclosed  in 
the  envelope  which  contained  the  two  wills. 

2  See  p.  93  and  note. 


SS  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

There  seems  to  us  to  be  only  one  weak  point  in  this  argu- 
ment— the  possibility  of  a  marriage  between  the  date  of  the 
first  will  and  the  Restoration,  or  rather  between  the  Due  de 
Berry's  letter  to  Clermont-Lodeve  of  August  26,  18 10  and  that 
event.     If  we  exclude  the  time  subsequent  to  the  retreat  of  the 
Grand  Army  from  Moscow,  which  struck  a  mortal  blow  at  the 
power  and  prestige  of  Napoleon  and  made  a  Bourbon  restora- 
tion  a   contingency   which  had  once   more  to   be   taken   into 
account — though  it   must  be  remembered  that  up  to  within  a 
few  weeks  of  the  fall  of  the  Empire  the  allies  were  still  prepared 
to  make  peace  with  Napoleon  on  terms  which  would  have  left 
him  in  tranquil  possession  of  the  throne  of  France,  and  that  no 
one  but  those  most  intimately  acquainted  with  him  could  have 
foreseen  that  his  insensate  obstinacy  would  have  impelled  him 
to  prolong  the  struggle  to  the  bitter  end — there  still  remains  a 
period  of  two  years.     Well,  the  prospect  of  a  restoration  had 
never  seemed  so  remote  as  in  181 1,  when  the  birth  of  the  King 
of  Rome  placed  the  coping-stone  upon   the    mighty  fabric  of 
Napoleon's  fortunes  and  promised  to  assure  the  continuance  of 
his  dynasty.     If  then  the  chance  of  the  re-establishment  of  his 
family  had  hitherto  deterred  the  Due  de  Berry  from  regularizing 
his  connection  with  a  woman  to  whom  he  was  tenderly  attached 
and  who  had  borne  him  two  children,  this  would  have  been  the 
moment  when  he  might  well  have  decided  that  there  was  no 
longer  any  justification  for  such  hopes,  and  have  acted  accord- 
ingly.    However,  the  possibility  of  the  marriage  having  taken 
place  within  the  period  mentioned  is,  it  must  be  admitted,  a 
very   slight    one,   for    we    learn    from    the    Souvenirs    of    La 
Ferronays  that  in  April  18 13  he  was  charged  with  a  mission  to 
Russia  to  negotiate  an  alliance  between  the  Due  de  Berry  and 
the    Grand    Duchess   Anne,   sister   of  Alexander    I.      Unless, 
therefore,  we  are  prepared  to  assume  that  Louis   XVIII.  was 
already  taking  steps  to  get  his  nephew's  marriage  annulled — 
and,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  it  has  never  been  alleged  that  any- 
thing was  done  in   this   direction  until  the   beginning  of  the 
following   year — we   must   conclude  that   the   prince   was  still 
unmarried  up  to  within  a  twelvemonth  of  the  Restoration. 

The  year  18 14  opened  a  new  career  to  the  Due  de  Berry. 
In  January,  he  sailed  for  France,  with  the  intention  of  landing 
on  the  Breton  coast,  where  he  was  assured  that  a  large  force  of 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  89 

armed  Royalists  were  only  awaiting  the  arrival  of  one  of  the 
princes  to  march  upon  Paris.  On  reaching  Jersey,  however,  he 
learned  that  the  information  which  the  credulous  counsellors  of 
Louis  XVIII.  had  been  so  ready  to  accept  emanated  from  the 
agents  of  the  Imperial  police,  who  had  hoped  by  this  means  to 
lure  one  or  more  of  the  princes  into  their  clutches.  He  there- 
fore prudently  remained  in  Jersey  until  the  abdication  of 
Napoleon  and  the  break  up  of  the  Empire  permitted  him  to 
return  in  peace  ;  and  it  was  not  until  April  16  that,  accom- 
panied by  the  Comtes  de  la  Ferronays,  de  Nantouillet,  de 
Mesnard,  and  de  Clermont-Lodeve,  he  disembarked  at  Cher- 
bourg, where  he  met  with  a  very  flattering  reception.  Journeying 
southwards  by  way  of  Caen  and  Rouen,  he  joined  the  Royal 
Family  at  Compiegne,  and  on  May  3  made  with  Louis  XVII I. 
his  entry  into  Paris. 

Scarcely  had  the  Due  de  Berry  re-entered  France,  than  he 
sent  for  Amy  Brown  and  his  daughters  to  follow  him  thither, 
which  they  did,  under  the  escort  of  the  Due  de  Coigny,  and 
proceeded  straight  to  Paris.  If  we  are  to  believe  the  Duchesse 
de  Gontaut,  Amy  had  up  to  this  time  been  in  entire  ignorance 
of  her  lover's  exalted  station,  and  only  learned  the  fact  on  the 
evening  of  her  arrival  in  the  French  capital. 

"  Among  the  festivities  which  took  place  on  the  King's  entry 
into  Paris,"  she  writes,   "that  of  the  Opera  was  the  first,  the 
most  beautiful,  the  most  brilliant,  each  box  being  illuminated 
by  a  lustre  up  to  the  highest  tier.     The  King's  box  presented  a 
dazzling  appearance,  as  well  as  the  three  on  either  side  of  it,  in 
which  sat  the  ladies  who  had  been  invited,  in  full  Court  toilette. 
I  was  in  one  of  these  boxes.     One  box  only  on  the  second  tier 
was  empty,  and  my  attention  was  drawn  to  it  for  this  reason.     I 
perceived  a  woman  enter  it,  covered  with  a  lace  veil,  which 
enveloped   her,   but   permitted   one   to   see   her   face — a   pale, 
beautiful  face,  which  instantly  recalled  that  of  the  silent  lady  of 
the  Opera  in  London.     She  remained  standing,  but,  with  the 
light   falling   upon    her,   she    was   very   conspicuous.     At    the 
moment  when   the   King's   procession    approached,  every  one 
rose,  their   eyes   fixed    on   the   royal   box.      A   gentleman-in- 
ordinary  of  the  King's  Household  advanced,  and  in  a  loud  voice 
announced  : (  The  King  ! '     The  Due  de  Berry  appeared  ;  all  the 
princes  followed  him  ;  each  ranging  himself  so  as  to  make  way 
for  the    King.      It  was  a  moment  of  profound  silence,  which 


90  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

allowed  us  to  hear  the  sound  of  a  heavy  fall  in  the  box  on  the 
second  tier  :  the  white  lady  had  disappeared.  Then  the  King 
entered,  all  looks  were  directed  towards  him,  and  the  cries  of 
'  Vive  le  Roi  ! '  were  unanimous.  I  endeavoured  to  learn  what 
could  have  happened  to  the  lady,  whom  I  had  seen  carried  out 
fainting,  and  who  did  not  re-appear.  I  saw  that  Monseigneur 
[the  Due  de  Berry]  had  noticed  it ;  he  said  a  word  to  M.  de 
Clermont,  who  disappeared.  .  .  .  During  the  entr'acte  between 
the  two  pieces,  M.  de  Clermont  came  to  pay  me  a  visit. 
He  appeared  to  me  to  have  been  very  much  upset.  He  told 
me,  in  a  very  low  tone,  that  Madame  Brown  had  arrived 
from  London  an  hour  before  the  performance,  and  that 
Monseigneur  had  sent  her  the  ticket  for  the  box,  recommend- 
ing her  to  come  as  early  as  possible.  The  Due  de  Berry, 
having  been  in  Jersey,  had  not  seen  her  for  a  long  time,  and 
the  surprise  that  he  wished  to  give  her  might  have  killed  her. 
Madame  Brown,  having  led  a  very  retired  life,  was  ignorant  of 
the  high  position  of  Monseigneur ;  and,  learning  it  all  of  a 
sudden,  its  splendour,  far  from  dazzling  her,  had  only  made  her 
realize  the  immense  gulf  between  herself  and  him,  impossible 
for  her  ever  to  cross." 

It  would  appear  that,  in  the  last  phrases,  Madame  de 
Gontaut  is  not  reporting  the  words  of  Clermont-Lodeve,  but 
merely  giving  us  her  own  opinion  on  the  matter,  for  we  can 
scarcely  suppose  that  the  Due  de  Berry  would  have  been  able, 
even  if  he  had  wished,  to  conceal  from  his  mistress  for  nearly 
seven  years  his  real  position.  To  assume  that  such  was  the 
case,  is  not  only  to  credit  the  prince  with  powers  of  dissimula- 
tion which  he  certainly  never  possessed,  but  to  argue  that  the 
many  friends  and  acquaintances  whom  Amy  Brown  is  known 
to  have  had  among  the  Emigre's  in  London  were  all  in  a 
conspiracy  to  deceive  her. 

The  appearance  of  her  lover,  no  doubt  in  a  splendid 
uniform  blazing  with  orders,  amid  the  pomp  of  the  royal 
procession,  may  well  have  awakened  in  her  a  sudden  presenti- 
ment that,  now  that  he  had  resumed  his  rank,  he  was  far 
removed  from  her,  and  that  the  happy  family  life  which  they 
had  led  together  in  England  must  come  to  an  end.  This, 
combined  with  the  heat  of  the  crowded  theatre,  the  excite- 
ment, and  the  fatigue  of  her  journey,  are  surely  sufficient  to 
account  for  her  swoon,  without  seeking  any  further  reason  ! 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  91 

The  Due  de  Berry  had  purchased  for  Amy  and  his  daughters 
a  little  hotel  in  the  middle  of  an  extensive  garden,  situated 
between  the  Rue  de  Clichy  and  the  Rue  Blanche.  Here  he 
visited  her  nearly  every  day,  generally  in  the  evening,  and 
always  in  the  strictest  incognito.  It  would  appear,  however, 
from  the  reports  of  the  police  preserved  in  the  Archives 
Nationales,  that  he  might  just  as  well  have  spared  himself  these 
precautions,  and  that  his  visits  to  "  the  Duke  of  Wellington's 
niece,"  as  they  style  Amy,  was  no  secret,  at  least  in  official 
circles. 

Notwithstanding  the  regularity  of  the  visits,  it  must  not 
be  supposed  that  Amy  still  reigned  supreme  over  the  prince's 
heart,  since  the  greater  portion  of  that  inflammatory  organ  had 
lately  been  transferred  to  a  new  charmer. 

On  the  evening  preceding  the  State  entry  of  Louis  XVIII. 
into  Paris,  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  was  supposed  to  be  watching 
over  the  precious  person  of  his  royal  uncle  at  Saint-Ouen,  as 
commandant  of  the  King's  Guard,  had  paid  a  surreptitious  visit 
to  Paris  and  the  Opera,  arriving  just  as  the  ballet  was  about  to 
begin.  For  some  moments  the  prince  swept  with  his  lorgnette 
the  ranks  of  seductive  damsels  who  evolved  gracefully  before 
his  admiring  gaze  in  a  cloud  of  muslin  and  tulle,  until,  on  a 
sudden,  his  attention  was  arrested  by  a  ravishing  creature,  with 
sparkling  dark  eyes,  an  enchanting  smile,  and  a  shape  which  a 
nymph  might  have  envied.  Transported  with  admiration,  his 
Royal  Highness  followed  her  every  movement  with  his  lorgnette 
until  the  fall  of  the  curtain,  when  he  hastened  into  the  coulisses 
— it  was  never  his  habit  to  consider  his  dignity  on  such  occasions 
as  this — sought  out  one  of  the  officials  of  the  Opera,  and 
demanded  the  name  of  the  fair  ballerina.  He  was  told  that  it 
was  Virginie  Oreille — on  the  stage  Virginie  Letellier — and 
that  she  was  the  daughter  of  the  coiffeur  of  the  Opera.  His 
informant  may  have  added  that  the  beauteous  Virginie  had 
not  considered  it  incumbent  upon  her  to  live  up  to  her  name, 
having  soon  after  her  debut  accepted  the  "  protection  "  of  no 
less  a  person  than  the  Due  dTstrie,  better  known  to  fame  as 
the  Marechal  Bessieres.  A  year  ago,  however,  poor  Bessieres 
had  met  a  soldier's  death  on  the  field  of  Liitzen,  and  no  one,  so 
far  as  was  known,  had  as  yet  replaced  him  in  her  affections. 
Perhaps  Monseigneur  would  permit  him  to  present  Mile. 
Letellier.     Most  certainly  Monseigneur  would. 


92  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

The  damsel  came,  blushing  beneath  her  rouge,  and  more 
than  confirmed  the  favourable  impression  which  his  Royal 
Highness  had  formed  of  her  across  the  footlights.  Under  the 
old  regime  the  wishes  of  princes  had  been  as  commands  for  the 
ladies  of  the  theatre,  and,  though  the  Revolution  had  changed 
many  things,  it  had  not  changed  that.  Mile.  Virginie  was  no 
more  cruel  to  the  Due  de  Berry  than  Mile.  Contat  and  other 
queens  of  the  footlights  had  been  to  his  father  in  days  gone 
by.  The  day  was  already  beginning  to  break  when  the  prince 
left  Paris  on  his  return  to  Saint-Ouen.     Alas  !  poor  Amy  ! 

Soon  the  amours  of  Paul  and  Virginie,  as  a  lampoon  which 
was  published  against  the  Due  de  Berry  calls  them,  were  the 
talk  of  Paris.  Virginie  rode  about  in  an  elegant  calash,  with 
"  Paul "  sitting  by  her  side ;  she  appeared  in  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne,  escorted  by  the  bodyguards  of  Monsieur ;  she 
showed  herself  with  her  father  and  mother  in  a  box  exactly 
opposite  that  of  the  King  at  a  gala  performance  at  the  Theatre- 
Feydeau,  and  "  unheard-of  sums  "  were  reported  to  be  expended 
for  her  gratification.  Before  the  end  of  the  year,  all  the  town 
knew  that  the  young  lady  might  shortly  be  expected  to  present 
her  royal  admirer  with  a  pledge  of  her  affection.  One  would 
have  imagined  oneself  back  in  the  shameless  days  of  the  "  Well- 
Beloved." 

All  this  naturally  did  not  tend  to  raise  his  Royal  Highness 
in  the  public  estimation,  for  the  Bonapartists  were  quick  to 
seize  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  them  of  depreciating  the 
only  member  of  the  Royal  Family  who  possessed  qualities  in 
the  least  likely  to  appeal  to  the  popular  fancy,  and  represented 
the  prince  as  a  kind  of  satyr. 

With  the  Army,  in  which  Louis  XVIII.  had  appointed  him 
Colonel-general  of  Chasseurs  and  Lancers,  the  Due  de  Berry 
succeeded  no  better  than  with  the  Parisians.  The  soldiers,  it 
is  true,  were  rather  pleased  with  his  free  and  easy  manners,  but 
his  violent  temper  and  deplorable  want  of  dignity  made  him 
many  enemies  among  the  officers,  particularly  among  the 
veterans  of  Napoleon's  wars,  who  bitterly  resented  being 
reprimanded  and  abused  by  a  prince  whose  military  experience 
had  been  gained  in  the  service  of  the  enemies  of  France. 

"  The   Due  de  Berry,"  writes  Castellane,  "  has  been  guilty 

of  several  ridiculous  outbursts  of  temper,  among  others  one  at 

Metz,  at  the  School  of  Engineering,  another  to  a  colonel  at 


A   PRINCESS  OF   ADVENTURE  93 

Nancy.     This    prince   is   intoxicated    with   his   authority,  and 
resembles   a   student   who   has  just    left   college  and  is  quite 
astonished  at  having  his  liberty." 
And  again  : 

"  There  has  been  a  little  war  at  Monceaux.  Some  soldiers 
loaded  their  muskets  with  ball-cartridge ;  a  man  has  been 
killed,  several  wounded.  M.  Gabriel  Delissert,  who  was  present 
as  an  amateur,  had  his  horse  killed.  The  victors  had  at  their 
head  the  Due  d'Angouleme ;  the  vanquished,  the  Due  de 
Berry.  The  latter  deranged  the  manoeuvres  agreed  upon  and 
made  them  ridiculous.  Chance  decided  that  several  balls 
should  whistle  past  his  ears.  The  Due  de  Berry  is  said  to 
have  given  Meyronnet,  of  the  1st  Chasseurs,  several  blows 
with  the  flat  of  his  sword.  The  major  asserts  that  his  horse 
received  them,  and  that  the  prince  placed  the  point  of  his  sword 
against  his  breast.  He  called  Colonel  Robert  and  Major 
Villate  .  .  .  scoundrels,  whom  he  would  cause  to  die  in  prison, 
because  he  found  them  in  a  wrong  position,  and  General 
Mensiau,  a  fat  pig.  Captain  Morel,  of  the  1st  Hussars,  having 
wished  to  bring  away  some  pieces  of  cannon  which  the  Due  de 
Berry  had  caused  to  advance  right  up  to  the  skirmishers,  that 
prince  said  to  him  :  '  I  will  have  you  placed  in  irons  and  shot ! '  "  * 
An  accident  such  as  Castellane  describes  might  well  have 
disturbed  the  equanimity  of  even  the  most  patient  of  men  ;  but, 
at  the  same  time,  nothing  can  excuse  the  employment  of  oppro- 
brious language  to  veteran  officers  who  were  apparently  in  no 
way  responsible  for  the  mishap ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  prince's  unfortunate  explosions  of  temper,  of  which  the  above 
was  by  no  means  an  isolated  example,  were  not  the  least  among 
the  causes  which  contributed  to  disgust  the  Army  with  the  Bour- 
bons and  to  dispose  it  to  welcome  the  returning  Emperor  with 
open  arms. 

When  the  news  of  Napoleon's  landing  reached  Paris,  the  Due 
de  Berry  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  forces  which 
were  intended  for  the  defence  of  the  capital.  His  army,  how- 
ever, rapidly  melted  away,  and  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
March  20,  after  bidding  a  tender  farewell  to  Virginie,  who  had 
presented  him  with  a  son  a    fortnight  before,2  he  began   his 

1  Journal  du  Mdrichal  de  Castellane,  September  23  and  October  20,  1814. 

2  Charles  Louis  Auguste  Oreille  de  Carriere,  called  the  Chevalier  de  Carriere. 
After  the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry  in  February  1820,  the  Due  and  Duchesse 


94  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

retreat  towards  the  Belgian  frontier,  at  the  head  of  the  few  troops 
who  had  remained  faithful.  At  half-past  eight  on  the  evening 
of  the  same  day,  Napoleon  entered  Paris. 

During  the  Hundred  Days,  the  Due  de  Berry  was  stationed 
with  his  little  force  at  Alost.  He  was  not  without  consolation 
in  his  exile,  for  Virginie  had  remained  faithful  to  her  prince  ; 
and,  so  soon  as  her  health  permitted,  had  followed  him  to 
Belgium  *  and  established  herself  at  Ghent,  where,  under  the 
convenient  pretext  of  paying  his  court  to  the  King,  her  lover 
visited  her  daily. 

When  Napoleon's  defeat  at  Waterloo  had  once  more  opened 
the  gates  of  France  to  the  Bourbons,  the  Due  de  Berry  returned 
to  Paris.  Having  been  sent  by  Louis  XVIII.  to  Lille  to  preside 
over  the  Electoral  College  of  the  Nord,  he  contributed  with  all 
his  power  in  this  department  to  form  that  "  Chambre  introuvable  " 
which  was  to  prove  more  royalist  than  the  King,  and  which  the 
King  was  eventually  obliged  to  dissolve.  On  his  return  to  the 
capital,  he  showed  himself  one  of  the  most  violent  partisans  of 
the  reaction,  and  the  extravagance  of  his  language  was  such 
that,  if  we  are  to  believe  Castellane,  Louis  XVIII.  felt  obliged 
to  administer  a  severe  reprimand,  and  even  to  threaten  to  exile 
him  if  he  did  not  moderate  it.2 

d'Angouleme  took  charge  of  the  boy  and  sent  him  to  the  college  of  the  Lazarists  at 
Montdidier,  where  the  latter  frequently  came  to  visit  him.  From  there  he  passed  to 
the  Lycee-Bourbon,  and  subsequently  obtained  a  commission  in  the  Austrian  army. 
He  married  in  1842  an  Austrian  lady,  Fraulein  Jugan,  and,  a  few  years  later,  resigned 
his  commission,  returned  to  France,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Passy.  He  died 
there  in  August  1858,  at  the  age  of  forty-four.  By  his  marriage  with  Fraulein 
Jugan,  Charles  de  Carriere  had  a  son,  Casimir  Charles  Oreille  de  Carriere,  who  was 
at  one  time  on  the  French  stage. 

1  Poor  Virginie  had  been  having  a  very  bad  time  in  Paris,  for  pire  Oreille,  who 
appears  to  have  been  a  gentleman  of  a  somewhat  mercenary  disposition,  was  furious 
at  the  turn  which  events  had  taken,  and  overwhelmed  his  daughter  with  reproaches. 
"  When  the  father  of  the  belle,"  writes  General  Thiebault,  "  saw  that  the  only  result 
of  the  Restoration,  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  was  the  interesting  condition  of  his 
daughter,  he  pretended  to  be  afflicted  with  a  veritable  despair,  and,  in  relating  to  all 
comers  what  he  called,  at  the  time,  his  misfortune,  he  never  failed  to  conclude  his 
jeremiad  with  these  words  :  •  Finally,  what  crowns  my  dishonour,  is  that  I  am  going 
to  have  a  little  Bourbon  in  my  family.'  Well,  eighteen  months  after  the  second 
Restoration,  he  was  gratified  by  another  little  Bourbon ;  but  circumstances  had 
modified  his  sentiments,  and  he  no  longer  spoke  of  it  except  with  pride." — Memoires 
du  general  baron  Thiebault. 

2  "  The  Due  de  Berry  distinguishes  himself  by  the  absurdity  of  his  talk.  •  The 
marshals  are  going  to  be  hunted  ;  we  must  kill  at  least  eight  of  them,'  said  he  to  the 
Marechal  Marmont.     The  Due  de  Raguse  [Matmont],  scandalised,  went  to  find  the 


A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE  95 

After  a  time,  however,  he  ceased  to  take  any  active  part 
in  politics  and  confined  himself  to  his  military  duties.  Aware 
that  his  conduct  after  the  first  Restoration  had  been  among 
the  causes  of  the  defection  of  the  Army,  he  now  treated 
his  officers  with  much  greater  consideration  ;  while  the  short 
addresses  which  he  was  accustomed  to  deliver  at  reviews  and 
inspections  were  much  appreciated  by  the  troops,  for  he  was 
an  excellent  speaker  and  knew  how  to  reach  the  hearts  of  the 
soldiers.  Nor  was  it  forgotten  that  after  Waterloo  the  Due  de 
Berry  had  shown  great  solicitude  for  the  French  prisoners  at 
Ghent  and  other  Belgian  towns,  and  that  a  certain  grenadier 
of  the  Imperial  Guard  treasured  a  handkerchief  embroidered 
with  his  Royal  Highness's  monogram,  which  the  prince  had 
given  him  to  bind  up  a  wounded  arm.  Paris,  too,  began  to 
alter  its  opinion  of  the  prince,  for,  if  his  morals  left  a  good  deal  to 
be  desired,  and  if  his  manners  were  brusque  and  sadly  lacking 
in  that  dignity  which  one  is  accustomed  to  associate  with 
royalty,  his  generosity  and  kindliness  were  undeniable.  Thus, 
at  the  time  of  his  marriage  with  the  Princess  Caroline,  the 
Due  de  Berry  had  become  quite  a  popular  personage. 

Due  de  Richelieu  [President  of  the  Council  and  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs].  The 
Minister,  indignant,  asked  him  if  he  would  sustain  these  words  before  the  King,  and 
put  the  same  question  to  Lieutenant-General  Maison,  to  whom  the  Due  de  Berry  had 
also  repeated  them.  The  marshal  replied  '  Yes.'  They  related  to  Louis  XVIII.  his 
nephew's  pretty  speech.  The  King  fell  into  a  great  rage,  and  sent  for  the  Due  de 
Berry.  'You  will  cause  my  dynasty  to  be  driven  from  the  throne,'  said  he  to  him. 
'If  you  continue,  I  shall  banish  you  from  Paris.'" — Journal  du  Marechal  de 
Castellane,  December  1815. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  the  Elysee-Bourbon — History  of  the  palace — 
The  duchess's  apartments — A  happy  marriage— Simple  habits  of  the  young  couple — 
Anecdotes  of  the  ticket-collector  of  the  Champs-£lys<;es  and  of  the  young  man  with 
the  umbrella — Their  love  of  the  arts — Their  musical  tastes — Household  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry — The  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  dame  d'honneur — The  Comtesse  de  la  Ferronays, 
dame  d'atours — Madame  de  Gontaut — Mesdames  de  Lauriston,  de  Hautefort,  de 
Bouille,  and  de  Gourgues — Monseigneur  de  Bombelles,  first  almoner — The  Due  de 
Levis,  first  equerry — The  Comte  de  Mesnard,  chevalier  d'honneur — The  Elysee  and 
the  Tuileries — Attachment  of  Louis  XVIII.  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — Affectionate 
relations  between  the  young  princess  and  Madame,  the  Due  d'Angouleme,  and 
Monsieur — Visit  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the  old  Prince  de  Conde  at  Chantilly — 
The  Elysee  and  the  Palais- Royal — Louis  XVIII. 's  distrust  of  the  Due  d'Orleans — 
The  Duchesse  de  Berry  endeavours  to  persuade  the  King  to  confer  the  title  of  "Royal 
Highness  "  upon  Louis-Philippe,  but  without  success. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that,  on  the  evening  of  her  wedding- 
day,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  been  conducted  by  her 
husband  to  the  Elysee — or  the  Elysee-Bourbon,  as  it 
was  then  called — which  was  to  be  their  future  home.  Although 
of  comparatively  modern  date,  this  beautiful  palace,  now  the 
official  residence  of  the  President  of  the  Third  Republic,  had 
already  passed  through  many  hands  and  sheltered  beneath 
its  roof  a  number  of  royal  and  other  distinguished  personages. 
Constructed  in  171 8,  by  the  architect  Molet  for  Henri  de  la 
Tour  d'Auvergne,  Comte  d'Evreux,  third  son  of  the  Due 
de  Bouillon,  who  had  married  the  daughter  of  the  wealthy 
banker  Crozat,  it  bore  until  the  death  of  it  first  owner  the 
name  of  the  Hotel  d'Evreux.  It  was  then  purchased  by 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  who  partially  rebuilt  it  and  furnished 
it  in  the  most  extravagant  fashion,  the  curtains  in  the  grand 
salon  costing,  it  is  said,  between  five  and  six  thousand 
livres  a-piece.  Finding  that  the  trees  in  the  Champs-Elysees 
obstructed  her  view  from  the  windows,  she  had  a  number  of 
them  cut  down,  after  which  she  actually  proposed  to  annex 
part  of  the  promenade  itself,  in  order  to  turn  it  into  a  kitchen- 
garden  ;  but,  though  she  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  Louis 

96 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  97 

XV.'s  permission  to  do  so,  the  indignation  which  such  a  pro- 
ceeding aroused  among  the  Parisians,  decided  her  to  abandon 
the  idea.1 

In  her  will  the  favourite  left  the  "  Hotel  de  Pompadour  "  to 
the  King,  at  the  same  time  expressing  a  desire  that  it  should  be 
converted  into  a  palace  for  the  Comte  de  Provence  (afterwards 
Louis  XVIII.).  The  monarch,  however,  so  far  from  respecting 
her  last  wishes,  sold  it,  in  1773,  to  the  financier  Beaujon,  whose 
residence  there  was  signalised  by  fetes  which  have  remained 
famous.  After  Beaujon's  death,  it  was  purchased  by  the 
Duchesse  de  Bourbon,  who  baptized  it  the  "  Elysee-Bourbon  ;  " 
but  when  the  Revolution  came,  and  the  duchess  left  the  country, 
it  was  confiscated  with  the  rest  of  the  property  of  the  emigre's 
and  leased  to  an  entrepreneur,  who  transformed  it  into  a 
restaurant  and  place  of  public  amusement.  It  remained 
national  property  until  the  beginning  of  1804,  when  Napoleon 
purchased  it  and  presented  it  to  his  youngest  sister,  Caroline 
Murat,  who  resided  there  with  her  husband  from  1805  to  1808, 
and,  according  to  M.  Frederic  Masson,  expended  no  less  than 
four  million  francs  on  its  embellishment.2  On  Joachim  Murat 
being  created  King  of  Naples,  he  and  his  wife  relinquished  the 
Elysee  and  the  rest  of  their  property  in  France  to  the  Emperor, 
who  conceived  a  great  liking  for  the  palace  and  frequently 
resided  there.  Josephine  lived  there  after  her  divorce,  until  the 
jealousy  of  the  new  Empress  compelled  her  to  vacate  it.  It 
was  at  the  Elysee  that  Napo1  -on  spent  part  of  the  Hundred 
Days,  and  it  was  from  there  that  he  started,  at  first  for  Waterloo, 
afterwards  for  St.  Helena.  In  18 14,  and  again  after  Waterloo, 
it  served  as  the  residence  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  I.  of 
Russia.  That  singular  illumine'e,  Madame  de  Kriidener,  then 
the  keeper  of  his  Imperial  Majesty's  conscience,  had  accom- 
panied him  to  Paris  on  his  second  visit  and  established  herself 
at  the  Hotel  de  Montchenu,  in  the  Faubourg  Saint-Honore  ;  and 
every  alternate  evening  the  Czar,  accompanied  only  by  a  single 
attendant,  used  to  walk  across  to  the  lady's  house  and  remain 
there  until  a  very  late  hour,  the  time  being  spent  in  prayer  and 
the  study  of  the  Bible.     On  Sundays,   Madame  de  Kriidener 

1  One  fine  morning,  the  marchioness  discovered  that  during  the  night  the 
inscription  "Hotel  de  Pompadour"  had  been  removed  from  the  portal  of  her  door, 
and  the  words  "  Regies  meretricis  /Edis  "  substituted. 

-  Napoleon  et  safamille. 
H 


98  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

had  a  place  reserved  for  her  in  a  room  overlooking  Alexander's 
private  chapel  in  the  Elysee,  where,  with  her  features  concealed 
by  a  white  veil,  she  remained  throughout  the  service,  in  order 
that  her  soul  might  be  united  in  prayer  with  that  of  her  royal 
disciple.1 

At  the  Restoration,  the  Duchesse  de  Bourbon  had  success- 
fully asserted  her  claim  to  the  Elysee,  but  she  was  persuaded 
to  accept  in  exchange  the  Hotel  de  Monaco,  in  the  Rue  de 
Varennes,  and  Louis  XVIII.  decided  that  it  should  form  part 
of  the  appanage  of  the  Due  de  Berry. 

The  Elysee  was  certainly  suggestive  of  many  reflections 
upon  the  vicissitudes  of  human  affairs,  but  no  foreboding  of 
what  the  future  might  have  in  store  for  her  was  allowed  to 
trouble  the  happiness  of  the  young  bride  who  entered  it  for 
the  first  time  that  beautiful  June  evening  ;  and  we  may  imagine 
the  naive  delight  with  which  she  must  have  beheld  the  elegance 
and  luxury  of  her  future  home  and  inspected  the  preparations 
which  had  been  made  for  her  reception. 

The  apartment  selected  for  the  princess  overlooked  the 
gardens,  which  in  1816  were  much  more  extensive  than  they 
are  to-day  ;  indeed,  their  low  walls,  completely  hidden  by  ivy, 
gave  them  the  appearance  of  a  spacious  park.  Her  boudoir 
was  the  charming  salon  with  the  silver  wainscoting  which  had 
been  Marie-Louise's  favourite  room,  and  in  which,  twelve 
months  before,  Napoleon  had  signed  his  second  abdication. 
Few  changes  appear  to  have  been  made  in  the  decoration  of 
this  apartment  since  the  ex-Empress  had  left  it  ;  but  the 
furniture  of  violet  taffeta  embroidered  with  silver  which  Marie- 
Louise  had  chosen  had  been  removed  and  the  room  upholstered 
in  blue  silk  spangled  with  sAvex  fleurs  de  lis. 

The  days  which  followed  her  marriage  were  busy  ones  for 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  On  June  18,  after  hearing  Mass  at 
the  Tuileries,  she  received  the  Foreign  Ambassadors  and 
Ministers  and  their  wives.  She  then  drove  with  her  husband 
to  Bagatelle,  which  had  been  given  him  as  a  country-residence, 
and  in  the  evening  dined  with  the  King  en  famille  at  the 
Tuileries.  On  the  19th,  she  accompanied  Louis  XVIII.  and 
the  Royal  Family  to  Saint  Cloud,2  where  his  Majesty  gave  an 

1  For  a  full  account  of  the  singular  relations  between  Alexander  I.  and  Madame 
de  Kriidener,  see  the  author's  "  Madame  Recamier  and  her  Friends  "  (Harpers),  1901 . 

2  What  might  have  been  a  serious  accident  occurred  as  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  99 

informal  dinner-party,  to  which  several  of  the  Ambassadors  and 
a  number  of  distinguished  persons  of  the  Court  had  the  honour 
of  being  invited.  After  a  walk  in  the  park,  then  in  all  the 
beauty  of  early  summer,  the  royal  party  returned  to  the 
Tuileries  in  time  for  the  State  ball,  which  was  to  be  one  of 
the  chief  events  of  the  marriage  festivities.  This  was  held  in 
the  theatre  of  the  chateau,  which  had  been  magnificently 
decorated  for  the  occasion,  all  the  pillars  being  ornamented 
with  garlands  of  choice  flowers.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who 
had  taken  her  first  dancing-lesson  on  the  preceding  day,  opened 
the  ball  with  the  Due  d'Angouleme. 

On  the  20th,  the  municipal  authorities  presented  themselves 
at  the  Elysee  to  compliment  the  newly-married  pair,  and  to 
offer  the  duchess  the  presents  which  from  time  immemorial 
t,he  town  of  Paris  had  been  in  the  habit  of  making  to  the 
brides  of  princes  of  the  Royal  House :  perfumed  tapers  of 
white  wax  and  boxes  of  dried  fruits.  The  boxes — twelve  in 
number — were  of  cardboard,  decorated  with  silver  paper,  on 
which  was  inscribed  the  Arms  of  Paris,  and  covered  with  blue 
taffeta.  "  Monseigneur,  Madame,"  said  the  Prefect  of  the 
Seine,  who  headed  the  deputation,  "  the  municipality  of  Paris, 
in  presenting  its  humble  felicitations  to  your  Royal  Highnesses, 
offers  you  the  same  presents  which  our  fathers  offered  to  your 
ancestors.  This  modest  homage,  consecrated  by  the  ancient 
usage  of  the  Monarchy,  attests  the  moderation  and  simplicity 
of  our  august  masters.  We  have  preserved  its  character  with 
religious  respect,  assured  that  the  offering  which  comes  from 
the  heart  is  the  only  one  that  would  be  worthy  of  you  and  that 
could  be  accepted." 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de 
Berry  attended  the  ceremony  of  the  benediction  and  distribution 
of  colours  to  the  Royal  Guard  in  the  Champ  de  Mars,  the 
duchesse  and  Madame  driving  thither  in  the  King's  carriage, 
while  Monsieur  and  his  sons  accompanied  them  on  horseback. 
The  troops,  who  were  under  the  command  of  the  Due  de 
Tarente,  better  known  to  history  as  Marechal  Macdonald, 
defiled  past  the  King,  who  was  seated  upon  a  kind  of  throne, 

was  leaving  the  Tuileries.  The  horses  attached  to  the  calash  in  which  she  and  the 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme  were  riding  took  fright,  and  the  carriage  came  into  such 
violent  collision  with  a  post  that  it  was  all  but  overturned,  and  the  pole  was  broken 
ofl  short.  As  it  was,  the  princesses  escaped  with  nothing  worse  than  a  severe 
shaking. 


ioo  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

after  which  the  colonels  of  the  various  regiments  advanced  in 
turn  to  receive  the  new  colours.  The  Due  de  Feltre,  Minister 
for  War,  offered  the  standards  to  Louis  XVIII. ,  who,  aided  by 
Monsieur,  inclined  the  head  of  each  staff,  first  to  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  and  then  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  The  two 
princesses  successively  attached  the  tassels  to  the  standards, 
which  the  King  then  presented  to  the  colonels,  who,  escorted 
by  detachments  from  their  regiments,  repaired  to  an  altar  which 
had  been  erected  for  the  occasion  in  the  middle  of  the  Champ 
de  Mars,  where  the  new  colours  were  solemnly  blessed  by  the 
Grand  Almoner. 

On  their  way  back  to  the  Tuileries,  the  Royal  Family 
stopped  for  some  minutes  on  the  Place  Louis  XV.,  to  watch 
Mile.  Garnerin,  the  celebrated  aeronaut,  make  an  ascent  in 
her  balloon.  "  Mile.  Garnerin,"  says  the  Journal  des  De'bats, 
"  mounted  the  basket  of  flowers  which  served  her  for  a  car, 
and,  on  the  signal  being  given,  her  balloon  rose  slowly  and  very 
majestically.  The  young  and  intrepid  aeronaut  saluted  the 
chateau  (of  the  Tuileries)  by  waving  a  white  banner  embroidered 
with  Xhzjleurs  de  lis,  and  scattered  upon  the  crowd,  whose  eyes 
followed  her  with  the  liveliest  interest,  a  great  quantity  of 
couplets  and  verses  in  celebration  of  the  marriage  of  the  Due 
and  Duchesse  de  Berry,  which  were  eagerly  contended  for." 
It  is  satisfactory  to  learn  that,  after  rising  to  a  height  of  nearly 
seven  thousand  feet,  the  lady  descended  safely  in  the  neighbour- 
ing plain  of  Vaugirard. 

The  day  concluded  with  a  performance  in  the  theatre  of  the 
Tuileries. 

On  the  2  ist,  there  was  a  hunting-party  in  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne,  and  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  entertained 
the  Royal  Family  and  the  whole  Court  to  a  fete  and  a  dinner- 
party at  Bagatelle.  "It  was  a  delightful  day  ;  and  I  enjoyed 
myself  very  much,"  writes  the  young  princess  in  her  journal. 

On  the  22nd,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  enjoyed  a  well-earned 
repose  from  fetes  and  ceremonies,  which  she  spent  in  writing 
long  letters  to  her  relatives  at  Naples,  for  despatch  by  the 
courier  of  the  Neapolitan  embassy,  who  was  leaving  that 
evening.  Her  impressions  of  the  events  of  the  last  few  days 
must  have  made  very  interesting  reading,  but,  unfortunately, 
the  letters  do  not  appear  to  have  been  preserved. 

In  the  forenoon  of  the  23rd,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  held  a 


A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE  101 

reception  at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan  at  the  Tuileries  for  the 
male  members  of  the  nobility,  and  in  the  evening  received  the 
ladies  at  the  Elysee. 

The  principal  event  of  the  following  day  was  a  gala  per- 
formance at  the  theatre  of  the  Tuileries. 

The  25th  was  devoted  to  a  visit  to  Sevres,  Versailles,  and 
Trianon.  At  Trianon,  Louis  XVIII.  gave  a  dinner-party  to 
the  princes  and  princesses  and  certain  members  of  the  Court, 
and,  on  their  return  to  Paris,  the  Royal  Family  attended  a  grand 
ball  given  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  in  honour  of  the  bridal 
pair.  "His  lordship,"  writes  the  Moniteur,  "had  caused  every 
preparation  to  be  made  to  respond  to  the  honour  which  the 
Royal  Family  were  doing  him,  and  the  apartments  were 
magnificently  decorated  and  lighted."  The  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
who  had  already  become  an  enthusiastic  devotee  of  Terpsichore, 
did  not  quit  the  ball-room  until  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th,  a  gala  performance  was  given  at 
the  Theatre  des  Varietes.  The  following  morning,  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  drove  to  Malmaison  with  Madame,  and  spent  a  quiet 
day  in  the  beautiful  gardens,  which  she  greatly  admired  ;  and 
on  the  28th,  the  series  of  official  fetes  terminated  with  a  gala 
performance  at  the  Opera-Italien,  consisting  of  la  Primavera 
felice,  an  intermHe  by  Pair,  composed  for  the  marriage,  followed 
by  F Heureuse  journce,  oil  le  17  Juin,  a  vaudeville  by  Desangiers 
and  Gentil,  and  concluding  with  a  grand  ballet.1 

The  termination  of  the  official  festivities  did  not  bring  any 
repose  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  was  as  indefatigable  in 
her  pursuit  of  pleasure  as  was  that  other  Italian  princess  whom 
in  many  respects  she  so  closely  resembles — Marie  Adelaide  of 
Savoy,  Duchesse  de  Bourgogne  ;  and  hunting-parties,  balls,  and 
visits  to  the  play  continued  to  occupy  a  considerable  portion 
of  her  time.  Nor  was  her  activity  confined  to  mere  amuse- 
ments. She  visited  hospitals  and  alms-houses,  museums,  picture- 
galleries,  manufactories,  and  places  of  historic  interest  in  and 
around  Paris  ;  took  lessons  in  painting,  music  and  dancing,  and 
held  receptions ;  in  a  word,  her  energy  appears  to  have  been 
boundless. 

The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  were  very  happy  in  their 

1  Journal  inidit  de  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  ;  Moniteur,  June  19-30,  18 16  ;  Journal 
des  Dibats,  June  19-30,  18 16. 


102  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

married  life.  The  latter  was  attracted  from  the  first  by  her 
bluff,  good-natured  husband,  with  his  ruddy  complexion,  his 
broad  shoulders,  his  pleasant  smile,  and  his  hearty  laugh,  and 
soon  conceived  for  him  a  sincere  affection.  As  for  the  duke, 
his  devotion  to  the  opposite  sex  was  such  that  it  would  have 
been  difficult  for  him  to  have  been  much  in  the  society  of  any 
woman  who  was  in  the  least  attractive  without  falling  in  love 
with  her ;  and  if  his  young  wife  failed  to  comply  with  any  of 
the  recognised  standards  of  beauty,  her  lovely  fair  hair,  her 
dazzling  complexion,  her  pleasing  expression,  and  her  pretty 
hands  and  feet,  joined  to  the  freshness  and  vivacity  of  youth, 
made  up  a  very  charming  personality,  and  won  her  a  host  of 
admirers  wherever  she  went. 

The  Due  de  Berry  was  not  the  least  enthusiastic  among 
them,  and,  though,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  his  unfortunate 
sensibility  to  feminine  charms  rendered  it  impossible  for  him 
to  give  to  his  consort  that  whole-hearted  devotion  which  she 
had  the  right  to  expect,  there  can  be  no  question  that  he  was 
very  warmly  attached  to  her.  By  a  happy  coincidence,  there 
existed  between  husband  and  wife  a  resemblance  in  character 
and  tastes  very  unusual  in  the  case  of  royal  personages  ; 
indeed,  notwithstanding  the  difference  of  age  which  separated 
them,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  find  a  better-matched 
pair.  Both  had  the  same  generous  impulses,  the  same  love  of 
the  arts,  the  same  passion  for  pleasure.  Both  had  the  same 
dislike  of  the  constraints  of  etiquette,  and  desired  nothing  so 
ardently  as  to  be  allowed  to  forget  that  they  were  Royal 
Highnesses.  At  the  Elysee,  free  from  the  wearisome  ceremonial 
which  weighed  so  heavily  upon  the  inmates  of  the  Tuileries,  the 
duke  and  duchess  lived  in  the  simplicity  of  an  almost  bourgeois 
existence.  "  They  dance  and  amuse  themselves,  they  promenade, 
they  frequent  the  theatres,  patronise  the  artists,  visit  studios, 
buy  pictures,  run  the  risks  of  the  Opera-ball,  and  the  young 
princess  is  never  happier  than  when  she  can  remember  that 
she  is  young  and  forget  that  she  is  a  princess."1 

Often  they  might  be  seen  going  out  together,  on  foot  and 
unattended,  by  the  gate  which  opens  on  to  the  Champs-Elysees, 
and,  descending  the  avenue,  mingle  familiarly  with  the  pro- 
menaders.     Sometimes  they  were  to  be  met  with  in  the  shops, 

1  Portmartin,  cited  by  Imbert  de  Saint- Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de 
Louis  XVIII. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  103 

where  they  made  extensive  purchases  and  allowed  themselves 
to  be  shamefully  imposed  upon,  in  the  museum  and  picture- 
galleries,  or  in  the  humble  dwelling  of  one  or  other  of  their 
numerous  pensioners. 

Many  were  the  amusing  adventures  which  they  encountered 
in  the  course  of  these  expeditions.  On  one  occasion,  they  had 
seated  themselves  on  two  chairs  on  the  Champs-Elysees,  but 
when  the  ticket-collector  came,  they  found  that  they  had  no 
money  upon  them.  They  explained  who  they  were,  promising 
to  send  a  servant  to  discharge  their  debt  as  soon  as  they  returned 
to  the  Elysee  ;  but  the  collector  was  angrily  incredulous  and 
bade  them  at  once  vacate  the  chairs,  since  they  had  not  the 
money  to  pay  for  them. 

Another  time,  while  walking  on  the  Boulevards,  they  were 
overtaken  by  a  storm.  A  young  man  with  an  umbrella  happen- 
ing to  pass  by,  the  Due  de  Berry  begged  the  loan  of  it  to  shelter 
his  companion.  The  young  man,  who  evidently  suspected 
them  of  harbouring  designs  upon  his  property,  hesitated,  but 
eventually  consented,  on  condition  that  he  should  accompany 
them  to  their  house.  "That  is  only  reasonable,"  replied  the 
duke,  and  they  set  off.  They  were  a  long  way  from  home, 
however,  and  the  owner  of  the  umbrella,  with  growing  impatience, 
kept  inquiring  how  much  further  they  had  to  go.  At  length, 
they  arrived  before  the  Elysee,  where,  on  their  Royal  Highnesses 
being  recognised,  the  drums  beat  to  quarters,  and  the  guard 
turned  out  and  presented  arms.  The  young  man,  overwhelmed 
with  confusion,  stammered  some  words  of  apology,  and  the 
prince,  laughing  heartily,  restored  his  umbrella,  and  thanked 
him  warmly  for  the  service  he  had  rendered  him. 

One  of  the  greatest  bonds  of  sympathy  between  the  Due 
and  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  their  love  of  the  arts.  The  duke 
was  an  excellent  judge  of  pictures  and  an  indefatigable  collector, 
and  nothing  pleased  him  so  much  as  to  be  admitted  to  the 
studio  of  some  famous  painter  when  the  latter  happened  to  be 
at  work,  and  to  watch  a  picture  taking  shape  under  the  master's 
brush. 

The  young  duchess  shared  her  husband's  enthusiasm  and 
frequently  accompanied  him  on  these  visits,  while  at  the  Elysee 
she  surrounded  herself  with  the  best  artists  of  the  time,  and  took 
lessons  in  oil  and  water-colour  painting,  aquatint  and  model- 
ling.  At  her  suggestion,  the  duke,  who  had  hitherto  confined  his 


104  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

artistic  efforts  to  drawing,  for  which,  as  we  have  said  elsewhere, 
he  possessed  considerable  talent,  abandoned  the  pencil  for  the 
brush,  and  the  two  often  spent  long  hours  painting  together. 
The  prince's  preference  was  for  military  subjects,  and  some  of 
his  water-colour  sketches  were  not  without  merit. 

The  Due  de  Berry  had  got  together  at  the  Elysee  a  very  fine 
gallery  of  pictures,  containing  some  admirable  examples  of  the 
modern  French  and  English  schools,  and  to  this  he  and  his  wife 
were  continually  adding.  The  collection  contained  evidence  of 
its  owners'  goodness  of  heart,  as  well  as  of  their  artistic  sense. 
Visitors  were  often  surprised  to  see  side  by  side  with  the  chefs- 
d'eeuvre  of  the  great  masters,  canvasses  which  were  obviously 
the  work  of  prentice  hands,  and  in  some  of  which  it  was  difficult 
to  perceive  the  smallest  promise.  Questioned  one  day  about 
this,  the  duchess  replied  with  a  smile,  "  Poor  men !  To  whom 
do  you  suppose  they  would  sell  their  pictures,  if  I  did  not  buy 
them  ? " 

The  devotion  of  the  royal  couple  to  music  was  second  only  to 
their  devotion  to  art.  The  Due  de  Berry,  as  we  have  mentioned, 
sang  agreeably  and  played  upon  several  instruments.  His 
favourite  was  the  cornet,  upon  which  he  is  said  to  have  attained 
quite  a  high  degree  of  proficiency.  The  duchess  cultivated  the 
piano  1  and  the  harp,  her  predilection  for  the  latter  instrument 
being  perhaps  not  unconnected  with  the  fact  that  it  afforded  her 
opportunities  for  displaying  the  beauty  of  her  hands  and  the 
smallness  of  her  foot. 

The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  lived  on  terms  of  the  closest 
intimacy  with  the  officers  and  ladies  of  their  respective  house- 
holds. The  entourage  of  the  duke  was  composed  almost  entirely 
of  old  companions-in-arms  who  had  shared  his  fortunes  during 
the  Emigration,  and  he  had  exercised  a  wise  discretion  in  the 
selection  of  his  wife's  attendants,  who  were  all  ladies  of 
unblemished  reputation  and  of  considerable  personal  charm. 

The  princess's  dame  dlionneur,  the  beautiful  Duchesse  de 
Reggio,  wife  of  Marshal  Oudinot,  was  a  woman  of  rare  merit, 
who  had  succeeded  by  her  amiability,  dignity,  and  good-sense  in 
establishing  her  position  in  an  environment  which  was  quite  new 
and  entirely  hostile.    It  was  a  striking  testimony  to  the  universal 

1  Madame  de  Boigne  {Recits  d'une  taute)  speaks  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
"murdering  pieces  upon  the  piano,"  but  the  general  opinion  of  her  contemporaries 
appears  to  be  that  she  had  a  real  talent  for  music  and  played  remarkably  well. 


MARIE   CAROLINE,    DUCHESSE  DE   BERRY 

FROM    AN    ENGRAVING   AFTER    THE    PICTURE    BY    HESSE 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  105 

esteem  in  which  she  was  held  that,  though  the  bestowal  of  Court 
appointments  upon  representatives  of  the  Imperial  regime 
usually  provoked  the  bitter  resentment  of  the  Royalist  party, 
who  regarded  them  as  their  exclusive  property,  no  one  had 
ventured  to  criticise  the  propriety  of  this  nomination.  In  a  post 
of  such  responsibility,  in  which  she  was  often  called  upon  to  play 
a  very  difficult  role,  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  acquitted  herself 
of  her  task  with  an  unfailing  vigilance  and  tact,  and  there  can 
be  no  question  that  her  young  mistress  was  very  greatly  indebted 
to  her  wise  counsels.  Profoundly  attached  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  who,  on  her  side,  felt  for  her  the  warmest  regard,  she  was 
to  remain  faithful  to  the  princess  in  both  good  and  evil  fortune, 
and  to  testify  for  her  to  the  end  of  her  life  the  most  touching 
devotion. 

Next  in  official  rank  to  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  came  the 
dame  datours,  the  little  Comtesse  de  la  Ferronays,  wife  of  the 
Due  de  Berry's  faithful  aide-de-camp  ;  but,  though  an  amiable 
and  intelligent  woman,  she  did  not  exercise  nearly  so  much 
influence  at  the  Elysee  as  the  Vicomtesse,  afterwards  the 
Duchesse,  de  Gontaut,  the  author  of  the  well-known  Mimoires. 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  who  had  resided  during  part  of  the 
Emigration  at  Holyrood,  and  afterwards  in  London,  from  which 
she  paid  frequent  visits  to  Louis  XVIII. 's  little  Court  at  Hart- 
well,  was  a  great  favourite  with  all  the  members  of  the  Royal 
Family.  But,  though  a  devoted  adherent  of  the  Bourbons,  she 
was  far  from  sharing  the  prejudices  of  the  emigre"  party.  In 
consequence  of  the  marriage  of  her  cousin,  the  Vicomte  de 
Valence,  with  the  daughter  of  Madame  de  Genlis,  she  had 
shared  the  education  of  the  children  of  "  Philippe  Egalite,"  and 
having  lived  much  in  English  society  and  being  a  remarkably 
intelligent  and  clear-sighted  woman,  she  recognised  the 
necessity  of  reconciling  the  Restoration  with  liberal  ideas. 
Madame  de  Gontaut  enjoyed  the  special  favouV  of  the  Due  de 
Berry,  a  fact  which  Madame  de  Boigne  attributes  to  her 
unwearying  efforts  to  conceal  from  his  young  wife  the  rumours 
of  his  Royal  Highness's  "  indiscretions." 

The  handsome  Comtesse  de  Bethisy  was  another  lady  who 
was  high  in  favour  at  the  Elysee.  The  countess  was  dis- 
tinguished for  her  exquisite  taste  in  dress,  and  her  authority  in 
such  matters  rendered  her  indispensable  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry. 


106  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Of  the  four  remaining  dames  du  palais — or  dames  pour 
accompagner,  as  they  were  generally  styled — Mesdames  de 
Lauriston,  d'Hautefort,  de  Bouille,  and  de  Gourgues,  the  first- 
named  had  the  advantage  of  considerable  experience  in  her 
metier,  having  exercised  the  same  functions  with  the  two 
empresses ;  the  second  was  a  very  pretty  young  woman,  the 
elegance  of  whose  toilettes  almost  rivalled  those  of  Madame  de 
Bethisy,  while,  like  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  she  was  sincerely 
attached  to  her  mistress  ;  the  third  was  noted  for  her  vivacity 
and  originality,  and  the  last  for  her  good-nature  and 
embonpoint. 

The  number  of  the  princess's  dames  pour  accompagner  was,  a 
little  later,  increased  to  eight,  by  the  addition  of  Madame  de 
Casteja,  daughter  of  her  first  almoner,  and  Madame  de  Rosambo, 
daughter  of  her  first  equerry.  Each  of  the  "  dames  "  received  a 
salary  of  8,000  francs,  but  only  two  of  them  were  on  duty  at  a 
time,  their  term  of  service  lasting  a  week. 

The  chief  officers  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  Household 
were  all  interesting  personalities.  The  first  almoner,  the  old 
Marquis  de  Bombelles,  had  had  a  singular  career.  Although  at 
this  time  in  his  seventy-third  year,  he  had  only  taken  Holy 
Orders  some  ten  years  before.  Beginning  life  as  an  officer  in 
the  Seven  Years'  War,  the  close  of  which  found  him  a  captain 
of  hussars,  he  subsequently  adopted  the  profession  of  diplomacy, 
without,  however,  renouncing  that  of  arms,  and,  after  serving  as 
Secretary  of  Legation  in  several  capitals,  became  Ambassador, 
first  at  Lisbon  and  then  at  Venice.  In  1791  and  1792  he  was 
charged  by  Louis  XVI.  with  secret  missions  to  Vienna,  St. 
Petersburg,  Copenhagen,  and  Stockholm  ;  and  in  the  latter  year 
fought  in  the  army  of  Ferdinand  of  Brunswick  at  Valmy.  On 
the  retreat  of  the  Allies  from  French  soil,  he  withdrew  to 
Switzerland,  where  he  lived  until  1800,  when  he  emerged  from 
his  retirement  to  join  the  corps  of  Conde,  in  which  he  served 
until  it  was  disbanded  three  years  later.  He  then  found  an 
asylum  in  Austria,  but,  overwhelmed  by  grief  at  the  death  of  his 
wife,  he  resolved  to  renounce  the  world,  and  in  1804  entered  a 
Convent  at  Brunn,  in  Moravia.  From  that  time  he  consecrated 
himself  entirely  to  his  religious  duties,  and  was  so  much  esteemed 
that  he  was  appointed  a  canon  of  Breslau,  and  subsequently 
made  Bishop  of  Ober-Glogau.  At  the  Restoration,  he  resigned 
his  episcopate  and  returned  to  France,  and,  after  sharing  the 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  107 

fortunes  of  Louis  XVIII.  during  the  Hundred  Days,  received  the 
reward  of  his  fidelity  to  the  Bourbons  by  being  nominated 
Almoner  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  while,  in  18 19,  he  received 
the  bishopric  of  Amiens. 

Although  his  piety  was  undoubted,  he  was  a  genial  soul  with 
nothing  of  the  divot  about  him,  and  once,  at  the  Elysee,  when 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  suggested  an  impromptu  dance, 
and  no  musician  happened  to  be  forthcoming,  Bombelles  seated 
himself  at  the  piano  and  played  right  merrily.  He  had  also  a 
keen  sense  of  humour,  as  the  following  story  will  show  : 

Soon  after  his  appointment  to  the  see  of  Amiens,  he  attended 
a  reception,  accompanied  by  his  sons.1  The  groom  of  the 
chambers  was  about  to  announce  "  the  Bishop  of  Amiens  and 
his  sons,"  when  Bombelles,  recognising  that  such  an  announce- 
ment might  provoke  some  astonishment  among  those  who  were 
unaware  that  he  had  only  embraced  an  ecclesiastical  career  very 
late  in  life,  stopped  him.  "  Say,"  said  he,  with  a  smile,  "  the 
Bishop  of  Amiens  and  the  nephews  of  the  Comte  de  Bombelles 
(his  brother)." 

The  Due  de  Levis,  the  princess's  chevalier  dhonneur,  was 
one  of  those  nobles  who  had  emigrated  at  the  Revolution,  but 
returned  to  France  after  Brumaire,  without,  however,  in  any  way 
identifying  themselves  with  the  new  regime.  In  the  interval 
he  had  taken  part  in  the  ill-fated  Ouiberon  expedition,  in  which, 
though  wounded,  he  succeeded  in  making  his  way  to  one  of  the 
English  ships,  thus  escaping  the  fate  of  his  captured  comrades, 
who  were  all  shot  in  cold  blood.  The  duke  was  a  writer  of 
considerable  distinction,  and  was  among  those  nominated 
members  of  the  Academie-Francaise  by  the  royal  ordinance  of 
March  18 16.  Louis  XVIII.  playfully  said  that  "he  intended 
him  to  represent  philosophy  with  his  niece." 

The  first  equerry,  the  Comte  de  Mesnard,  was  a  member  of 
a  Vendeen  family  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Bourbons.  Born 
in  the  same  year  as  Napoleon,2  he  had  been  a  fellow-pupil  of 
the  future  Emperor  at  Brienne,  which  he  quitted  to  enter  the 
Regiment  of  the  Comte  de  Provence,  as  Louis  XVIII.  then  was. 
He  emigrated  at  the  Revolution,  followed  his  future  sovereign 

1  His  youngest  son,  Charles  Rene,  Comte  de  Bombelles,  became  Grand  Master  of 
the  Household  of  Marie  Louise  at  Parma,  and  in  1833  contracted  a  morganatic 
marriage  with  the  ex-Empress,  who  had  lost  her  beloved  Neipperg  three  years 
before. 

-  And  not  in  1762,  as  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  states. 


108  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

to  Coblentz,  and  served  in  the  Army  of  the  Princes  in  the 
invasion  of  1792  and  in  several  subsequent  campaigns.  In  1797 
he  withdrew  to  England,  but  in  1800  repaired  to  Mittau  and 
joined  Louis  XVIII.,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years,  very 
honourably  refusing  the  First  Consul's  offer  of  the  restoration 
of  his  confiscated  estates  if  he  would  forsake  the  Bourbons. 
Returning  to  England,  he  was  appointed  aide-de-camp  to  the 
Due  de  Berry,  who  soon  conceived  for  him  a  warm  friendship, 
and  in  18 14  was  one  of  those  who  accompanied  the  prince  when 
he  landed  at  Cherbourg. 

Mesnard  was  a  tall,  distinguished-looking  man,  whose  charm- 
ing manners  and  witty  and  interesting  conversation  made  him  a 
great  favourite  in  Society,  notwithstanding  that  he  was  some- 
what haughty  and  self-opinionated.  Both  the  Due  and 
Duchesse  de  Berry  held  him  in  the  highest  esteem,  and  were 
accustomed  to  consult  him  in  all  matters  of  importance  ;  indeed, 
he  appears  to  have  been  regarded  as  the  Mentor  of  the  Elysee. 
After  the  tragic  death  of  the  duke,  it  will  be  Mesnard  to  whom 
the  young  princess  will  turn  for  counsel ;  and  gossip,  misinter- 
preting this  intimacy,  will  find  in  it  material  for  a  most  un- 
pleasant scandal.1 

With  the  inmates  of  the  Tuileries  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was 
on  the  most  affectionate  terms.  In  appearance,  at  least,  no 
royal  family  was  more  united  than  that  of  France,  and  every 
evening  with  unfailing  regularity  its  members  assembled  at  the 
King's  dinner-table.  On  these  occasions,  it  was  pleasant  to  see 
the  smile  which  would  light  up  his  Majesty's  heavy  features  when 
the  young  princess  appeared,  the  gallant  manner  in  which  he 
would  kiss  her  hand,  the  delicate  attentions  which  he  would  pay 
her,  and  the  interest  with  which  he  would  listen  while  she 
prattled  merrily  away  about  her  day's  doings,  of  which,  by  his 
own  desire,  she  never  failed  to  render  him  a  circumstantial 
account. 

1  In  vi  ew  of  these  reports,  it  is  interesting  to  learn  that,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry's  marriage,  Mesnard  came  very  near  to  losing  his  life  at  her 
hands.  The  little  Court  of  the  ilysee  was  one  day  diverting  itself  in  the  gardens  by 
the  time-honoured  pastime  of  "  touch,"  and  Mesnard  was  pursuing  the  princess  and 
had  almost  overtaken  her,  when  the  young  lady  snatched  up  a  pistol  which  had  been 
left  upon  a  bench  and  levelled  it  straight  at  the  count's  head,  without  imagining  for 
one  moment  that  it  was  loaded.  It  happened  to  be  so,  however,  and,  had  she 
accidentally  pressed  the  trigger,  the  post  of  first  equerry  to  her  Royal  Highness  would 
have  forthwith  become  vacant. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  109 

For,  for  the  infirm,  world-weary  old  monarch,  who  passed 
the  greater  part  of  his  days  in  an  arm-chair,  nursing  a  gouty 
foot  and  cudgelling  his  brains  to  discover  some  means  of  recon- 
ciling the  contending  factions  which  distracted  his  realm,  this 
joyous,  impulsive  little  daughter  of  the  South  possessed  very 
much  the  same  attraction  which  the  Duchesse  de  Bourgogne 
had  had  for  Louis  XIV.1  From  the  first  moment  he  had  felt 
himself  drawn  to  her,  less  by  what  physical  attractions  she 
possessed,2  than  by  her  gaiety  and  animation — by  the  good- 
humour  which  seemed,  so  to  speak,  to  radiate  from  her  little  person 
and  communicate  itself  to  all  about  her.  Soon  he  was  com- 
pletely captivated.  When  he  heard  her  joyous  laugh,  while  he 
listened  to  her  merry  prattle,  he  could  forget  for  a  moment  his 
cares  and  his  infirmities,  and  feel  that,  in  spite  of  gout, "  Ultras," 
and  Jacobins,  there  was  still  some  pleasure  left  for  him  in  life. 

Great  stickler  in  matters  of  etiquette  as  he  was,  to  the  ador- 
able caprices  of  the  young  princess  all  was  forgiven.  Even  un- 
punctuality,  usually  an  unpardonable  offence  in  the  eyes  of 
the  author  of  the  phrase  "  V exactitude  est  la  politesse  des  rois," 
provoked  but  the  mildest  of  protests.  When,  as  not  infrequently 
happened,  she  arrived  at  the  Tuileries  when  all  the  Royal 
Family  had  already  taken  their  places  at  the  dinner-table,  for 
his  Majesty's  meals  were  invariably  served  on  the  stroke  of 
the  hour,  the  old  King  would  content  himself  with  drawing  from 
his  fob  his  enormous  watch  and  silently  indicating  with  his 
finger  the  accusing  minute-hand.  Then  the  princess,  in  pretty 
confusion,  would  proceed  to  excuse  herself  and  offer  the 
most  plausible  explanations  of  her  late  arrival,  and  all  the 
Royal  Family  would  laugh  heartily,  for  she  had  conquered 
them  all.3 

Yes ;  she  had  conquered  them  all !  Even  the  austere 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  saddened  and  embittered  by  so  many 
trials  and  humiliations,  had  not  been  proof  against  the  charm  of 
that  frank,  joyous  nature.  She  seems,  indeed,  to  have  felt  for 
the  girl  the  affectionate  interest  which  an  elder  sister  might  feel 
for  a  younger,  and  seldom  a  day  passed  without  her  visiting  the 

1  See  the  author's  "  Rose  of  Savoy"  (London,  Methuen  ;  New  York,  Scribner, 
1909). 

2  "  Eyes,  nose,  mouth,  nothing  is  pretty,"  wrote  the  King  to  Decazes  on  the  day 
of  their  meeting  at  the  Croix  de  Saint-H^rem,  "all  is  charming,  made  to  paint, 
complexion  of  lilies  and  roses." 

3  Henri  Bouchot,  le  Luxe  francais  :  la  Restauration. 


no  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

princess  at  the  Elysee,  or  accompanying  her  on  some  drive  or 
excursion.1 

The  timid  and  reserved  Due  d'Angouleme  shared  the  senti- 
ments of  his  wife  for  the  little  princess,  and,  though  he  was  so 
uncomfortable  in  a  drawing-room  that  he  never  entered  one 
without  thinking  how  soon  he  could  decently  get  out  of  it,  made 
an  exception  in  favour  of  that  of  the  Elysee. 

As  for  the  Comte  d'Artois,  he  was  quite  delighted  with  his 
new  daughter-in-law.  Since  the  death  of  Madame  de  Polastron, 
Monsieur,  faithful  to  the  oath  of  fidelity  which  he  had  sworn 
to  her  on  her  death-bed,  had  abandoned  gallantry  for  a  very 
rigid  devotion.  But  this  renunciation  did  not  prevent  him  from 
appreciating  a  charming  woman  when  one  happened  to  cross  his 
path,  and,  if  he  no  longer  aspired  to  the  conquest  of  hearts,  he 
still  found  pleasure  in  feminine  society,  and  could  pass  a  pretty 
compliment  as  well  as  any  pttit-maitre  in  France.  A  man  of 
cultured  tastes,  even  in  the  days  of  his  unregenerate  youth, 
when  he  had  cast  "  benevolent  glances  "  at  Sophie  Arnould 2  and 

1  Madame  de  Boigne,  in  her  interesting  but  rather  malicious  Me'moires,  declares 
that  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  tried  to  guide  her  sister-in-law  "  with  the  acerbity  of 
a  governess,"  with  the  result  that  the  latter,  after  being  at  first  afraid  of  her,  soon 
came  to  detest  her.  It  is  probable  that  the  accuracy  of  this  statement  is  on  a  par 
with  the  countess's  assertion  that  "  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  arrived  in  France  in  a 
state  of  total  and  profound  ignorance  and  could  hardly  read."  Any  way,  it  is 
strangely  inconsistent  with  the  tone  of  the  following  letter,  written  by  Madame  to 
her  sister-in-law  from  Vichy,  in  the  summer  of  1816,  which  has  certainly  nothing  of 
the  acerbity  of  a  governess  about  it  : 

"  I  received  yesterday,  my  dear  sister,  your  amiable  letter.  I  am  very  sensible  to 
the  friendship  which  you  show  for  me  and  to  the  interest  which  you  take  in  my  journey. 
It  has  passed  off  well,  and  so  much  the  more  agreeably  that  everywhere  on  my 
journey  I  have  heard  you  spoken  of  and  in  a  way  which  has  given  me  pleasure.  You 
have  left  there  many  souvenirs.  People  recollect  and  repeat  how  kind  and  amiable 
you  have  been  to  all  the  world.  I  know  a  thousand  little  details  that  your  modesty 
has  prevented  you  from  making  known  and  which  do  credit  to  your  heart.  Mine,  I 
assure  you,  rejoices  greatly  at  all  the  successes  which  you  have  had.  I  am  very 
pleased  at  what  you  tell  me,  that  you  have  conquered  your  timidity  and  spoken  to 
nearly  all  the  ladies  who  have  paid  their  court  to  you.  The  more  you  understand 
the  French,  the  more  you  will  appreciate  the  necessity  of  taking  pains  for  them,  of 
seeking  to  please  them,  and  of  making  yourself  beloved  by  them.  Since  the  Revolu- 
tion, this  is  more  necessary  than  ever,  and  I  am  very  sure,  if  you  desire  it,  you  will 
continue  to  succeed.  Adieu,  my  very  dear  sister,  continue  your  friendship  for  me  and 
count  always  on  that  very  sincere  friendship  which  I  have  vowed  to  you.  With 
which  I  embrace  you  and  am  your  very  attached  friend  and  sister, 

"  Marie-Therese  " 

2  Mbnoires  secrets  de  la  ripublique  des  lettres,  vol.  viii. 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  in 

settled  Mile.  Contat's  milliner's  bills,1  he  had  always  looked  for 
something  more  than  beauty  in  the  opposite  sex,  and  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  pleased  him  infinitely.  Many  were 
the  visits  which  the  princess  paid  to  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan, 
and  it  was  soon  remarked  that  Monsieur  seemed  to  regard 
her  with  as  much  affection  as  if  she  were  his  own  daughter. 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  also  appears  to  have  made  a  very 
favourable  impression  upon  the  aged  Prince  de  Conde.  Since 
the  judicial  murder  of  his  grandson,  the  Due  d'Enghien — the 
hope  of  his  race — the  gallant  old  general  of  the  emigres  had 
fallen  into  a  condition  of  profound  melancholy,  and,  on  his 
return  to  France  at  the  Restoration,  he  had  retired  to  a  pavilion 
which  had  been  left  standing  amid  the  ruins  of  Chantilly,  where 
he  lived  a  very  secluded  life,  seldom  appearing  at  Court.  The 
burden  of  his  years  and  his  sorrows  had  to  some  extent  affected 
his  mind,  and  his  memory  often  failed  him.2  Nevertheless, 
when  the  Due  de  Berry,  to  whom  he  was  much  attached, 
brought  his  young  wife  to  Chantilly,  he  roused  himself  from  his 
ordinary  lethargy  and  did  the  honours  of  that  once  magnificent 
residence  with  all  the  gallantry  of  the  old  regime;  and  the 
little  princess's  visit  seemed  to  give  him  so  much  pleasure  that 
it  was  several  times  repeated.  Their  friendship,  however,  was 
not  of  long  duration,  as  the  old  warrior  died  on  May  13,  18 18, 
in  his  eighty-third  year.  Almost  his  last  words  are  said  to  have 
been  :  "  Ou  est  la  guerre  ?     En  avant !  " 

When,  in  the  early  spring  of  1817,  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
d'Orldans,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  been  in  England  at 

1  For  an  account  of  the  relations  between  the  Comte  d'Artois  and  Mile.  Contat, 
see  the  author's  "Later  Queens  of  the  French  Stage"  (London,  Harper;  New 
York,  Scribner,  1906). 

2  Apropos  of  the  old  prince's  failing  memory,  Nettement  relates  an  amusing 
anecdote.  One  day,  soon  after  his  return  to  France,  he  received  a  visit  of  ceremony 
from  Talleyrand,  a  personage  for  whom  he  entertained  the  most  profound  aversion. 
Conde  mistook,  or  pretended  to  mistake,  the  Grand  Chamberlain  for  the  latter's 
uncle,  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  one  of  his  oldest  friends.  Talleyrand,  perhaps 
not  altogether  sorry  for  the  misunderstanding,  which  had  spared  him  a  very  embarrass- 
ing interview,  did  not  attempt  to  undeceive  him,  and  they  conversed  very  pleasantly 
for  some  time.  When  his  visitor  rose  to  go,  the  prince  observed  :  "  M.  l'Archeveque, 
come  and  see  me  as  often  as  you  will  ;  I  shall  always  be  pleased  to  receive  you  ;  but 
please  do  not  bring  your  nephew,  the  Prince  de  Benevent  (Talleyrand)."  "  Now 
that  I  am  informed  of  the  sentiments  of  your  Most  Serene  Highness,"  replied  the 
other,  with  his  imperturbable  sang-froid,  "  I  can  promise  you  that  the  Prince  de 
Benevent  will  never  present  himself  before  you." 


ii2  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

the  time  of  the  princess's  wedding,  returned  to  the  Palais-Royal, 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  became  a  frequent  visitor  there,  and 
often  received  her  uncle  and  aunt  at  the  Elysee.  This  intimacy 
met  with  the  cordial  approval  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  had 
always  entertained  the  friendliest  sentiments  towards  his  cousin 
and  had  often  defended  him  against  the  aspersions  of  the 
imigreS)  but  it  was  viewed  with  but  little  favour  by  the  inmates 
of  the  Tuileries.  Louis  XVI 1 1.,  indeed,  regarded  the  head  of 
the  younger  branch  of  his  family  with  a  profound  distrust,  which 
was  certainly  not  without  justification. 

On  the  fall  of  the  Empire,  Louis-Philippe  had  returned  to 
Paris,  where  the  King  reinstated  him  in  his  rank  of  lieutenant- 
general,  nominated  him  colonel-general  of  hussars,  conferred 
upon  him  the  cross  of  Saint-Louis,  and  restored  to  him  not  only 
his  appanages,  but  all  the  property  of  his  father  which  had  not 
been  alienated.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  his  Majesty,  in 
thus  reconstituting,  almost  by  a  stroke  of  the  pen,  the  colossal 
fortune  of  the  Orleans  family,  was  actuated  far  less  by  affection 
for  his  nephew  than  by  the  hope  of  compromising  him  for  ever 
in  the  eyes  of  the  party  of  the  Revolution. 

If  such  were  the  case,  he  must  have  been  very  painfully 
disillusioned,  for,  though  Louis-Philippe  resumed  possession  of 
his  inheritance,  and  was  profuse  in  his  professions  of  gratitude 
and  loyalty,  he  caressed  discreetly  the  Liberal  party  none  the 
less ;  and  it  soon  became  apparent  that,  as  the  only  member  of 
his  House  who  held  enlightened  opinions,  he  enjoyed  a  most 
dangerous  popularity  with  those  who  were  dissatisfied  with  the 
maladroit  and  reactionary  government  of  the  Restoration.  In 
point  of  fact,  at  the  moment  of  Napoleon's  return  from  Elba,  a 
conspiracy  had  actually  been  set  on  foot  with  the  object  of 
placing  him  upon  the  throne,  though  it  is  only  fair  to  the  prince 
to  observe  that  he  appears  to  have  been  unaware  of  its  existence. 
Charged,  very  much  against  his  will,  by  Louis  XVIII.  with 
the  mission  of  arresting  the  "  Corsican  ogre,"  he  did  not  succeed 
in  this  task,  and  when  sent  to  Lille  to  organise  the  defence  of 
the  departments  of  the  North,  he  decided,  on  learning  of  the 
withdrawal  of  the  King  to  Ghent,  to  retire  to  England.  He 
was  probably  no  stranger  to  the  intrigues  of  Talleyrand  and 
Fouch6  after  Waterloo  to  induce  the  Congress  of  Vienna  to 
substitute  him  for  Louis  XVIII.  upon  the  throne  of  France, 
and,  on  his  return  to  Paris,  notwithstanding  his  protestations  of 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  113 

fidelity,  the  King  held  him  more  than  ever  in  suspicion.  A 
few  weeks  later,  in  consequence  of  a  speech  in  the  Chamber  of 
Peers,  which  was  generally  interpreted  as  an  encouragement  to 
the  Opposition,  he  received  an  order  from  his  Majesty  to  leave 
Paris  and  rejoin  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  whom  he  had  left  at 
Twickenham,  nor  was  it  until  February  18 17  that,  having 
publicly  protested  his  loyalty  in  a  proclamation  issued  in  London, 
he  obtained  permission  to  return  to  France.  His  conduct  was 
now  marked  by  great  circumspection,  and  nothing  either  in  his 
words  or  acts  accused  him  of  ambition.  Nevertheless,  he  did 
not  renounce  the  principles  which  ensured  his  popularity  with 
a  large  section  of  the  nation,  and  it  was  observed  that  Laffitte, 
Casimir  Perier,  Manuel,  Benjamin  Constant,  Louis  Courrier, 
Delavigne  and  other  leaders  of  liberal  opinion  in  the  Chambers 
or  in  the  Press  were  assiduous  frequenters  of  the  Palais-Royal. 
A  warm  affection  had  always  existed  between  the  Duchesse 
d'Orleans  and  her  niece,  and  the  young  princess  was  also  much 
attached  to  Louis-Philippe,  who  had  been  very  kind  to  her  in 
the  old  days  in  Sicily.  That  prince,  at  this  time,  was 
extremely  anxious  that  Louis  XVIII.  should  confer  upon  him 
the  title  of  "  Royal  Highness,"  in  place  of  that  of  "  Most  Serene 
Highness,"  which  he  now  bore,  declaring  that  all  the  ambition 
which  he  was  able  to  cherish  would  be  satisfied  on  the  day, 
when,  by  the  kindness  and  courtesy  of  the  elder  branch  of  the 
Royal  House,  this  coveted  title  should  precede  the  name  of 
the  head  of  the  younger.  It  was,  indeed,  extremely  galling  to  the 
duke's  pride  that  his  wife,  who,  as  the  daughter  of  the  King  of 
the  Two  Sicilies,  was,  of  course,  a  "  Royal  Highness,"  should  take 
precedence  of  him  at  Court  and  enjoy  prerogatives  which  he 
was  denied.  Thus,  at  the  Tuileries,  he  had  the  mortification 
of  seeing  both  leaves  of  the  folding-doors  open  to  admit  the 
duchess,  while  he  was  obliged  to  wait  until  one  of  them  had 
closed  again  before  he  was  ushered  into  his  sovereign's  presence. 
Informed  of  her  uncle's  desire,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  readily 
promised  him  her  good  offices,  and  organised  a  kind  of  benevo- 
lent conspiracy  in  the  Royal  Family  to  obtain  from  the  King 
the  object  of  his  ambition.  But,  in  this  matter,  Louis  XVIII. 
was  deaf  to  all  persuasion.  "  The  Due  d'Orleans,"  said  he,  "  is 
already  sufficiently  near  the  Throne  ;  I  owe  it  to  my  nephews 
not  to  bring  him  any  nearer."  l 

1  Nettement,  Mimoires  sur  S.A.K.  Madame,  la  Duchesse  de  Berri. 
1 


CHAPTER   IX 

Dissensions  in  the  Royal  Family  owing  to  the  opposition  between  the  liberal 
ideas  of  Louis  XVIII.  and  the  reactionary  views  of  his  brother  and  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme — Indignation  of  the  Comte  d'Artois  and  Madame  at  the  royal  decree 
dissolving  the  "  Chambre  introuvable" — The  action  of  the  Ducde  Berry  in  canvassing 
openly  for  votes  against  the  Government  leads  to  a  violent  scene  at  the  Tuileries — 
Prudent  conduct  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  holds  studiously  aloof  from  politics 
and  makes  no  distinction  between  the  members  of  the  rival  parties — Growing 
popularity  of  the  young  princess  with  the  Parisians — Infidelity  of  the  Due  de  Berry, 
who  resumes  his  pre-nuptial  relations  with  Virginie  Oreille — Indignation  of  the 
King  on  learning  of  his  nephew's  presence  at  a  ball  given  by  the  danseuse — Liaison 
between  the  Due  de  Berry  and  Mile.  Sophie  de  la  Roche — Other  amours  of  the 
prince — Jealousy  of  the  duchess — Her  conversation  with  the  i Neapolitan  Ambassador, 
the  Prince  Castelcicala — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  gives  birth  to  a  daughter,  who, 
however,  dies  on  the  following  day — Humiliation  inflicted  by  Louis  XVIII.  on  the 
Due  d'Orleans  at  the  signing  of  the  acte  de  naissauee — Affair  of  the  layette :  rupture 
between  the  Due  de  Berry  and  the  Comte  de  la  Ferronays — Premature  birth  of  a  son, 
who  only  survives  two  hours — Disappointment  of  the  Due  de  Berry — Enviable 
position  of  the  duchess — Life  at  the  Elysee — Birth  of  Mademoiselle- -The  etiquette  of 
the  royal  nursery — Portrait  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  by  Hesse. 

THE  King's  dislike  of  the  Due  d'Orleans  was  not  the 
only  cause  of  unpleasantness  at  the  Court  of  the 
Tuileries. 
The  Royal  Family,  itself,  so  united  in  appearance,  was 
in  reality  divided  by  very  marked  divergencies  of  opinion, 
and  the  deference  and  submission  shown  by  the  princes  towards 
his  Majesty  in  public  concealed  dissensions  often  of  the  most 
violent  nature. 

After  the  second  Restoration,  Louis  XVIII.,  though  very 
jealous  of  his  "Divine  Right,"  had  had  the  good  sense  to 
recognise  the  necessity  of  reconciling  his  Government  with  the 
principles  of  1789,  and  that  a  return  to  anything  approaching 
the  absolutism  of  the  old  regime  was  henceforth  impossible. 
This,  however,  was  just  what  his  brother,  the  Comte  d'Artois, 
who  boasted  of  having  forgotten  nothing  and  learned  nothing 
since  the  Revolution,  was  never  able  to  comprehend,  and  his 
reactionary   views    were    shared    to    a    large    extent    by    the 

114 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  115 

Duchesse  d'Angouleme.  Encouraged  by  them,  the  party  of 
uncompromising  Royalists — the  "  Ultras,"  as  they  were  called — 
refused  to  pardon  the  King  his  liberal  ideas,  and  in  the 
tribune  and  in  the  Press  bitterly  denounced  the  policy  of 
conciliation  pursued  by  his  Ministers.  At  the  Pavilion  de 
Marsan,  Monsieur  held  a  rival  court  to  that  of  the  King. 
Around  him  congregated  those  fanatical  emigres,  whose  blind 
passions  had  inspired  the  "  Chambre  introuvable"  and  who  had 
applauded  the  White  Terror,  and,  if  the  prince  and  his  friends 
had  been  permitted  a  free  hand,  it  is  impossible  to  say  to  what 
lengths  the  Royalist  reprisals  which  followed  the  Second 
Restoration  might  not  have  been  carried.  When,  on  the  advice 
of  the  Due  de  Richelieu,  Laine,  and  Decazes,  Louis  XVIII. 
suddenly  dissolved  the  chamber  whose  violence  was  so  gravely 
compromising  him  (September  5,  18 16),  the  indignation  of  his 
brother  and  niece  knew  no  bounds.  The  Comte  d'Artois 
predicted  the  ruin  of  the  Throne,  and  "  the  palace  resounded 
with  his  anger  and  lamentations "  ; l  while  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  refused  to  receive  the  Ministers  when  they  came 
to  pay  their  court  to  her. 

The  elections  ratified  the  action  of  the  King  by  excluding 
the  most  violent  deputies  of  the  reactionary  party,  and 
strengthening  that  of  moderation.  But  this  reverse  did 
nothing  to  abate  the  mischievous  activity  of  Monsieur  and  the 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  and  the  relations  between  Louis  XVIII. 
and  his  family  were  more  strained  than  ever,  and  stormy 
scenes  were  of  by  no  means  uncommon  occurrence.  A  parti- 
cularly distressing  one  occurred  in  the  winter  of  18 16-17. 

The  King,  having  learned  that  the  Due  de  Berry,  who, 
though,  with  the  Due  d'Angouleme,  he  had  expressed  his 
approval  of  the  dissolution  of  the  "  Chambre  introuvable,"  had 
now  again  veered  round  to  the  "  Ultras,"  had  been  openly 
canvassing  for  votes  against  the  Government,  sent  for  him  and 
rated  him  soundly.  "  The  Due  de  Berry,"  writes  Madame  de 
Boigne,  "  complained  to  his  sister-in-law.  They  discussed  their 
common  grievances,  and  lashed  themselves  to  fury  in  the 
process.  Finally,  after  dinner  that  evening,  Monsieur  pro- 
ceeded to  expound  their  views  to  the  King  in  no  measured 
terms.  The  King  replied  with  spirit.  Madame  and  the  Due 
de  Berry  intervened,  and  the  quarrel  reached  such  a  pitch  that 

1  Lamartine,  Histoire  de  la  Rest  duration. 


n6  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Monsieur  declared  he  would  quit  the  Court  with  his  children. 
The  King  answered  that  there  were  fortresses  for  rebellious 
princes.  Monsieur  retorted  that  the  Charter  did  not  provide 
for  State  prisons — the  unfortunate  Charter  being  constantly 
invoked  by  those  who  hated  it  most  bitterly — and  on  these 
amicable  terms  they  parted." 

Madame  de  Boigne  adds  that,  as  the  result  of  this  scene, 
the  King  was  unable  to  digest  his  dinner ;  an  attack  of  gout  in 
the  stomach  supervened,  and  he  was  ill  for  several  days 
afterwards.1 

It  was  not  the  least  merit  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  that,  at 
this  period,  she  held  studiously  aloof  from  politics.  Neither 
with  the  King  nor  the  princes  did  she  even  so  much  as  refer  to 
the  questions  which  were  agitating  the  Court  and  the  nation. 
She  was  equally  amiable  to  the  "  Ultras  "  and  to  the  Ministers  ; 
she  made  no  distinction  between  the  emigres  and  the  quondam 
Bonapartists  ;  she  meddled  with  none  of  the  Court  intrigues. 
In  consequence,  she  was  respected  by  all  parties  without 
exception,  and  at  a  time  of  violent  animosities,  when  scurrilous 
pamphlets  and  revolting  caricatures  were  constantly  being 
launched  against  other  members  of  the  Royal  Family,  she 
escaped  unscathed. 

Any  attack  upon  her,  indeed,  would  have  certainly  recoiled 
upon  the  party  which  had  sanctioned  it,  for  the  princess  was 
rapidly  conquering  the  hearts  of  the  Parisians,  as  she  had 
already  conquered  those  of  her  relatives.  They  liked  this  fresh 
young  girl  who  seemed  to  enjoy  life  so  thoroughly  ;  who  threw 
etiquette  to  the  winds  and  entered  with  all  the  zest  of  a  private 
individual  into  the  amusements  of  the  capital ;  who  bowed  and 
smiled  so  coquettishly  when  they  saluted  her ;  who  kept  her 
carriage  standing  for  an  hour  at  a  time  before  their  shops,  while 
she  flitted  from  one  counter  to  another,  to  emerge,  at  length, 
with  her  footmen  staggering  beneath  the  weight  of  her 
purchases.  Before  the  Elysee,  at  the  hour  when  she  usually 
drove  out,  the  idlers  gathered  in  crowds  to  see  her  pass  ; 
at  the  theatres,  the  audience  greeted  her  with  an  enthusiasm 
which  was  never  evoked  by  the  presence  of  any  of  her  relatives. 
She  was  the  Marie  Antoinette  of  the  happy  days,  before  intrigue 
and  calumny  had  done  their  fatal  work,  the  true  Queen,  the  link 
between  the  Royal  Family  and  the  people. 

1  Madame  de  Boigne,  Ricits  d'une  tante. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  117 

The  happiness  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  during  the  first 
months  of  her  married  life,  would  have  been  without  a  cloud  if 
only  she  had  been  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  a  monopoly  of  the 
ducal  affections.  But,  the  prince,  though  warmly  attached  to  his 
wife  and  sincerely  desirous  of  her  happiness,  was  quite  incapable 
of  fidelity.  The  Royal  Family  had  for  a  moment  cherished  the 
hope  that,  on  marrying  this  young  princess,  the  Due  de  Berry 
would  renounce  the  amorous  adventures  which  had  too  often 
procured  him  a  most  undesirable  notoriety,  and  the  prince  had 
just  before  his  marriage  assured  the  King  that  he  had  definitely 
discontinued  his  relations  with  the  fair  Virginie.  So  pleased 
was  his  Majesty  at  this,  that,  to  console  the  danseuse  for  the  loss 
of  her  royal  admirer,  he  bestowed  upon  her  a  pension  of  6000 
livres ;  and  his  indignation  was  therefore  intense  when,  during 
the  winter  of  1816-1817,  he  learned,  from  a  report  of  the  police, 
that,  so  far  from  having  renounced  the  society  of  this  siren,  his 
nephew  was  as  assiduous  in  his  attentions  as  ever,  and  that 
the  lady  had  just  issued  invitations  for  a  ball,  the  expenses  of 
which  were  to  be  defrayed  by  the  Due  de  Berry,  and  at  which 
he  had  promised  to  be  present. 

"  This  report,"  wrote  the  angry  monarch,  "  occasions  me  the 
more  pain,  since  it  makes  me  feel  how  greatly  times  have 
changed.  Formerly,  an  order  would  have  been  given  to  M. 
Lenoir  (the  Prefect  of  Police).  On  receiving  it,  he  would  have 
sent  for  the  damsel,  and  said  to  her:  'Mademoiselle,  if  your 
ball  takes  place,  you  will  go  and  sleep  at  Sainte-Pelagie.'  And 
there  would  have  been  no  ball." x 

The  Due  de  Berry,  though  he  could  hardly  have  been 
unaware  of  the  avuncular  sentiments,  thought  proper  to  ignore 
them,  and  duly  appeared  at  the  ball.  The  King  was  furious, 
and,  sending  for  the  delinquent,  proceeded  to  inform  him  of  what 
he  thought  of  his  conduct  with  all  the  strength  of  an  excep- 
tionally powerful  pair  of  lungs.  On  the  rare  occasions  when 
his  Majesty  did  let  himself  go,  his  wrath  was  a  spectacle  not 
easily  forgotten,  and,  as  he  himself  once  laughingly  declared, 
the  sound  of  his  "  voix  de  cloche  "  might  have  been  heard  in  the 
Place  du  Carrousel. 

"  When  a  man  marries  at  thirty-eight  and  does  not  settle 
down,"  he  wrote  the  same  day,  "  it  proves  that  he  sees  in  his 

1  M.   Ernest  Daudet,    Une  Fantaisie  du  due  de  Berry,  Gaulois,  September  10, 
1902. 


i  IS  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

wife  only  a  mistress  the  more.  Then  there  remains  little  hope 
of  a  reformation  in  his  morals."  * 

There  certainly  seemed  to  be  very  little  hope  of  a  reforma- 
tion in  the  morals  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  for  his  extra-conjugal 
attachments  were  by  no  means  confined  to  Virginie. 

There  was  a  Mile.  Sophie  de  la  Roche,  of  whom  certain 
authors  make  an  actress  of  the  Comedie-Francaise,  and 
others  a  sempstress  employed  at  the  Elysee,  but  who  was,  in 
point  of  fact,  a  young  lady  of  a  highly  respectable  family, 
which  had  been  ruined  by  the  Revolution,  and  in  whose  re- 
establishment  the  prince  had  interested  himself.  Mile  de  la 
Roche's  blue  eyes  and  golden  tresses  so  pleased  the  Due  de 
Berry  that  he  continued  his  attentions  to  her  from  1815  or  18 16 
down  to  the  time  of  his  death,  and,  in  gratitude  for  the  zeal 
which  his  Royal  Highness  had  shown  on  behalf  of  her  family, 
she  presented  him  with  two  fine  boys.2 

There  was  also  a  Mile.  Deux  de  la  Roserie,  who  lived  in  the 
Place-Vendome  ;  a  Mile,  de  Saint-Ange,  who  played  saucy 
soubrettes  at  the  Theatre- Francais ;  a  Mile.  Resica  Lebreton, 
also  an  actress  ;  a  Mile.  Grandjean  ;  a  Mile.  Caroline  Brocard, 
like  Virginie  Oreille,  a  star  of  the  Operatic  firmament ;  a 
Madame  Bellamy,  a  bewitching  widow ;  and,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
not  a  few  others,  whose  names,  however,  history  has  not 
preserved.3 

1  M.  Ernest  Daudet,  Une  Fantaisie  du  due  de  Berry,  Gaulois,  September  IO, 
1902.  M.  Daudet  does  not  mention  to  whom  this  or  the  preceding  letter  was 
written. 

2  The  elder  son,  Charles  Ferdinand,  born  in  1817,  was,  after  the  death  of  the 
Due  de  Berry,  treated  with  great  kindness  by  the  Royal  Family.  As  he  grew  up,  he 
bore  the  most  striking  resemblance  to  his  father,  for  which  reason,  perhaps,  the 
Ducbesse  de  Berry  took  a  great  interest  in  him.  She  procured  him  a  commission  first 
in  an  infantry  and  afterwards  in  a  cavalry  regiment  in  the  Austrian  army,  and  during 
the  later  years  of  the  princess's  life  he  frequently  visited  her  at  Brunsee.  The  Comte 
de  la  Roche  was  still  alive  a  few  years  ago,  at  which  time  he  was  residing  at  Gratz. 

His  younger  brother,  also  called  Charles  Ferdinand,  was,  like  the  Comte  de 
Chambord,  a  posthumous  son,  being  born  in  1S20,  a  few  weeks  after  the  Due  de 
Berry's  assassination.  He  studied  painting  under  Paul  Delaroche,  became  himself  a 
painter  of  some  distinction,  and  exhibited  portraits  of  Napoleon  III.  and  the  Empress 
Eugenie  at  the  Salon  of  1857.  He  married  a  Mile.  Dole,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons, 
who  both  followed  their  father's  profession. — Vicomte  de  Reiset,  les  En/ants  du  due 
de  Berry. 

3  More  than  one  of  the  above-mentioned  ladies  left  children  who  pretended  to 
royal  origin,  but,  as  their  claims  were  never  acknowledged  by  the  Bourbons,  who 
were  perfectly  willing  to  recognise  those  of  the  Browns,  the  Oreilles,  and  the  La 
Roches,  they  appear  to  be  very  doubtful. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  119 

The  Due  de  Berry  took  every  precaution  to  conceal  his 
"indiscretions"  from  his  wife,1  but,  though  she  remained  in 
blissful  ignorance  of  most  of  them,  it  was  impossible  to  hide  all, 
and  the  young  princess  was  very  angry  indeed.  If  we  are  to 
believe  Madame  de  Boigne,  the  Neapolitan  Ambassador,  the 
Prince  Castelcicala,  who  had  known  her  from  childhood,  and 
whom  she  selected  as  the  confidant  of  her  wrongs,  took  upon 
himself  the  task  of  blunting  the  edge  of  jealousy,  and,  "  in 
answer  to  her  fury  and  lamentations,"  gravely  assured  her  that 
all  men  had  mistresses — the  only  honourable  exception,  to 
his  knowledge,  being  the  Due  d'Angouleme— that  their  wives 
knew  and  condoned  it,  and  that,  in  short,  it  would  be  very 
foolish  of  her  to  rebel  against  conditions  which  were  so 
universal. 

The  princess  made  particular  inquiries  concerning  the 
Due  d'Orleans,  and  wished  to  know  if  he  were  as  bad  as  the 
rest. 

"Most  certainly,  Madame,"  answered  the  Ambassador, 
without  hesitation.     "  For  whom  do  you  take  him  ? " 

"  And  my  aunt  is  aware  of  it  ? " 

"Undoubtedly,  Madame,  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans  is  too 
wise  to  take  offence  at  such  a  thing." 

1  These  precautions  occasionally  revealed  to  the  prince  little  matters  connected 
with  his  household  of  which  he  would  otherwise  have  remained  in  ignorance.  In  the 
article  entitled  les  de?ni-Bourbo?is  which  he  contributed  to  the  Carnet  of  November 
1902,  M.  La  Resie  relates  an  amusing  anecdote,  which  he  had  from  the  Marquis  de 
Sassenay,  whose  functions  of  secretary  of  orders  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  obliged 
him  to  reside  at  the  Elysee  : 

"Every  evening,  when  he  had  dismissed  his  attendants,  the  duke  quitted  the 
palace,  which  he  did  not  regain  until  an  advanced  hour  of  the  night ;  but,  fearing  the 
vigilance  of  the  duchess,  and  careful  of  his  own  dignity,  he  took  the  precaution  of 
returning  sometimes  by  one  door,  sometimes  by  another.  One  morning,  about  three 
o'clock,  as  he  was  about  to  pass  through  the  kitchens  to  reach  his  apartments,  he  was 
astounded  to  perceive  an  enormous  fire  blazing  in  the  grate,  by  the  side  of  which  lay 
a  scullion,  wrapped  in  a  profound  slumber.  Quick  to  anger,  the  duke  struck  the 
servant  a  heavy  blow  on  the  shoulder,  exclaiming :  '  What  are  you  doing  there, 
animal  ? '  The  man  jumped  up,  aghast,  and  cried  :  '  Monseigneur,  Monseigneur,  I 
am  making  cinders  !  '  At  this  period,  cinders  commanded  a  ready  sale,  and  his 
Royal  Highness's  servants,  finding  their  little  perquisites  insufficient,  had  arranged 
that  every  night  one  of  their  number  should  devote  himself  to  this  remunerative 
operation." 

The  prince,  it  appears,  not  only  took  no  steps  to  punish  the  offenders,  but  did  not 
even  mention  the  matter,  except  to  a  few  of  his  friends  whose  discretion  could  be 
relied  upon  ;  and,  presumably,  the  practice  still  continued.  After  all,  it  was  better  to 
lose  a  few  cartloads  of  wood  than  to  risk  being  called  upon  by  his  wife  to  explain 
his  presence  in  the  palace  kitchens  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 


120  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

After  this  conversation,  the  princess  became  more  disposed 
to  accept  the  situation.  Nevertheless,  she  was  frequently 
seized  with  fits  of  jealousy,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  efforts 
of  Madame  de  Gontaut,  it  is  probable  that  the  harmony  of  the 
Elysee  would  have  been  very  seriously  disturbed. 

In  the  early  days  of  July  1817,  all  Royalist  France  was  on 
the  tiptoe  of  expectation.  "  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  is  near  her 
time,"  writes  Madame  de  Remusat  to  her  husband  on  July  7, 
"  and  we  are  expecting  to  learn  of  her  delivery  from  one  moment 
to  another.  It  would  be  fortunate  if  the  event  took  place 
to-morrow  for  the  anniversary  of  the  second  entry  of  the  King." 
And  three  days  later:  "We  are  all  listening  with  cocked  ears 
here  to  hear  the  cannon-shots  which  are  to  announce  the  delivery 
of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  The  horses  for  the  King's  carriage 
remain  harnessed  day  and  night,  and  the  Ministers  have  been 
warned  to  be  in  readiness  ;  for  it  seems  to  be  their  desire  that 
the  accouchement  should  take  place  in  the  presence  of  a 
numerous  company."  1 

At  length,  on  July  13,  at  twenty-five  minutes  past  eleven 
in  the  forenoon,  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  Royal  Family,  the 
Chancellor,  the  Ministers,  and  the  grandees  of  the  Court,  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  who  was  described 
in  her  acte  de  ?iaissance,  which  the  Chancellor  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  draft,  as  the  very  high  and  puissant  Princesse  Louise 
Isabelle  d'Artois,  Mademoiselle,2  granddaughter  of  France. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  birth  of  a  prince  should  be 
announced  by  the  discharge  of  twenty-four  guns,  that  of  a 
princess  by  twelve.  Anxiously  were  the  discharges  counted  by 
the  expectant  public,  and  when  no  thirteenth  gun  came  to 
rouse  its  enthusiasm,  loud  were  the  expressions  of  disappoint- 
ment. Nevertheless,  the  city  was  illuminated  in  the  evening, 
and  verses  composed  for  the  occasion  were  sung  at  the  theatres. 

The  rejoicings  terminated  abruptly,  for,  on  the  following 
morning,  a  bulletin  posted  up  at  the  Elysee  announced  that 
the  health  of  the  infant  princess  was  causing  the  doctors  in 

1  Correspondance  de  M.  de  Remusat,  vol.  iii. 

2  The  little  princess  had  been  given  the  official  title  of  Mademoiselle,  which, 
under  the  old  regime,  had  been  borne  by  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Sovereign's  eldest 
brother,  because  neither  Monsieur  nor  his  eldest  son,  the  Due  d'Angouleme,  had 
a  daughter.  Similarly,  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  was  designated  Madame,  because 
Monsieur  was  a  widower. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  121 

attendance  grave  anxiety,  and  at  nine  o'clock  the  same  evening 
she  died. 

The  mortal  remains  of  the  poor  child  were  deposited, 
according  to  custom,  in  a  double  coffin  of  wood  and  lead  covered 
with  white  satin,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  a  plaque  inscribed 
with  her  name  and  titles.  The  coffin  was  exposed  during  the 
1 6th  at  the  Elysee,  on  a  platform  covered  with  white  draperies 
embroidered  with  the  Arms  of  France,  and  at  nine  o'clock  in 
the  evening  transported  to  Saint-Denis,  the  Gardes  du  corps, 
carrying  torches,  forming  the  escort.  Bombelles,  the  Duchesse  de 
Levis,  and  Madame  de  Gontaut  accompanied  the  cortege,  and, 
on  its  arrival  at  Saint-Denis,  the  Almoner  "  pronounced  a  sort 
of  funeral  oration,  in  which,  not  being  able  to  bestow  other 
praises  on  the  deceased,  he  vaunted  her  beauty  and  freshness." 1 

The  ephemeral  existence  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  firstborn 
gave  rise  to  two  very  unpleasant  episodes. 

One  happened  at  the  signing  of  the  acte  de  naissa?ice,  when 
the  King,  who,  since  the  Hundred  Days,  never  lost  an  opportu- 
nity of  reminding  Louis-Phillipe  of  the  impassable  gulf  which 
separated  the  elder  branch  of  the  Royal  House  from  the 
younger,  refused  to  allow  the  pen  to  be  tendered  to  that  prince 
either  by  the  Chancellor,  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Ceremonies, 
or  even  the  Master,  and  kept  his  mortified  kinsman  standing 
before  the  table  on  which  the  document  lay  for  some  minutes, 
while  an  Assistant-Master  was  being  fetched. 

The  other,  which  seriously  disturbed  the  peace  of  the 
Elysee,  and  brought  about  a  fresh  and,  this  time,  a  final  rupture 
between  the  Due  de  Berry  and  the  faithful  La  Ferronays, 
occurred  over  the  layette. 

It  was  customary  for  the  King  to  give  the  layette  for  the 
children  of  the  Sons  of  France,  and  one  of  extreme  magnificence 
had  been  sent  to  the  Comtesse  de  Montsoreau,  mother  of 
Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  who  had  been  appointed  goitvemajite 
to  the  little  princess. 

Now,  according  to  usage,  the  layette,  in  the  event  of  the 
death  of  a  child,  became  the  property  of  the  gouvernanfe,  and, 
if  the  poor  little  princess  had  survived  a  few  days,  it  is  probable 
that  Madame  de  Montsoreau's  right  to  it  would  have  remained 
u  nquestioned.  But,  in  the  present  instance,  the  King,  being  of 
opinion  that  it  only  belonged  to  a  gouvernante  who  had  actually 

1  Vieil-Castel,  Histoire  de  la  Restatiration . 


122  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

performed  her  duties,  sent  Papillon  de  la  Ferte,  the  Intendant  of 
the  Menus-Plaisirs,  to  the  Elysee  to  demand  its  restoration. 

"  Madame  de  Montsoreau,"  writes  Madame  de  Gontaut, 
"  not  having  received  any  direct  orders  from  the  Due  de  Berry, 
refused  to  give  it  up  ;  and  in  the  evening  the  same  demand  was 
met  with  the  same  refusal.  Madame  de  Montsoreau,  meeting 
Monseigneur  and  finding  him  very  grieved  at  the  loss  of  his 
child,  did  not  dare  to  speak  to  him  about  the  layette. 

"  Madame  de  Montsoreau's  two  refusals  to  obey  the  order 
of  the  King  appeared  to  the  Intendant  of  the  Menus-Plaisirs 
almost  a  crime  of  lese-majeste.  He  went  to  find  Monseigneur  to 
tell  him  about  it,  met  him  in  the  Champs-Elysees,  returning 
from  Bagatelle,  and  complained  bitterly  of  the  gouverante. 
Monseigneur,  ignorant  of  the  facts,  but  very  angry,  reached  the 
Elysee  in  this  condition  of  mind,  and,  as  ill  luck  would  have  it, 
met  M.  de  la  Ferronays  at  that  very  moment.  He  accused 
his  mother-in-law  of  an  ignoble  motive,  and  M.  de  la  Ferronays, 
being  unable  to  support  this  imputation,  so  far  forgot  himself  as 
to  fail  in  respect  to  the  prince,  who  caught  up  two  swords  and 
offered  one  of  them  to  him.  M.  de  la  Ferronays  refused  it  and 
replied  :  '  A  gentleman  does  not  fight  with  the  heirs  to  the 
throne,  but  he  leaves  them.'  And  he  withdrew.  The  Due  de 
Berry  threw  himself  into  the  carriage  from  which  he  had  just 
alighted,  and  went  in  all  haste  to  assure  the  King  that  a  dis- 
obedience to  his  orders  could  only  have  arisen  through  a  mis- 
understanding of  which  he  was  ignorant.  On  his  return  to  the 
Elysee,  he  learned  that  M.  and  Madame  de  la  Ferronays  and 
their  children,  and  M.  and  Madame  de  Montsoreau,  had  already 
left  the  palace." l 

The  prince  was  very  sorry  indeed  next  day  for  the  violence 
into  which  his  unfortunate  temper  had  betrayed  him  ;  but  this 
time  he  had  gone  too  far.  And  so  he  lost  the  faithful  friend  of 
twenty  years,  and  his  wife  her  dame  d'atours,  who  was  succeeded, 
a  few  months  later,  by  Madame  de  Gontaut ;  while  Suzette  de 
la  Tour,  daughter  of  the  princess's  former  gouvernante,  who  had 
followed  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  from  Naples  and  married  the 
Comte  de  Meffray,  took  Madame  de  Gontaut's  place. 

1  Different  accounts  of  this  affair  are  given  by  Madame  de  Boigne,  the  Marechal 
de  Castellane,  and  other  chroniclers;  but  Madame  de  Gontaut,  the  confidante  of  both 
the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry,  must  certainly  have  been  in  a  position  to  know  the 
facts. 


A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE  123 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  possessed  an  excellent  constitution, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  grief  which  the  loss  of  her  little 
daughter  occasioned  her,  her  recovery  was  rapid.  On  August 
6,  she  was  able  to  walk  in  the  Elysee  gardens,  leaning  on  her 
husband's  arm,  and  before  the  end  of  the  month  she  had  resumed 
her  habitual  activity,  her  reappearance  in  public  being  hailed 
with  great  enthusiasm  by  the  Parisians. 

The  autumn  and  winter  were  uneventful.  The  princess  gave 
several  balls  and  concerts  at  the  Elysee,  went  frequently  to  the 
play,  and  held  two  receptions  every  Sunday,  one  for  the  ladies 
of  the  Court,  the  other  for  the  gentlemen.  Her  mornings  were 
occupied  by  painting  and  music-lessons,  and  after  dijeuner  she 
drove  out,  sometimes  to  visit  a  public  institution  or  State 
manufactory,  such  as  Sevres,  La  Savonnerie,  or  the  Gobelins. 

In  the  spring,  she  was  again  pregnant,  but  this  interesting 
fact  was  not  made  public  until  August  25,  1818 — the  day  on 
which  the  new  statue  of  Henri  IV.  was  unveiled  on  the  Pont- 
Neuf — when  the  Moniteur  contained  the  following  announce- 
ment : 

"  It  is  on  the  Feast  of  Saint-Louis,  the  day  of  the  inauguration 
of  the  statue  of  Henri  IV,  that  it  is  sweet  to  be  permitted  to 
announce  that  the  condition  of  H.R.H.  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
promises  a  new  scion  of  the  august  Bourbon  dynasty." 

Unhappily,  this  hope,  like  its  predecessor,  was  not  fulfilled, 
for,  owing  to  some  imprudence  on  the  part  of  the  young  princess, 
the  new  scion,  who  had  not  been  expected  until  the  end  of  the 
year,  arrived  in  the  early  morning  of  September  13,  and  only 
lived  two  hours. 

Notwithstanding  her  sufferings,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had 
the  presence  of  mind  to  request  Monseigneur  de  Bombelles  to 
lose  not  a  moment  in  baptizing  her  child,  and  the  almoner  did 
so,  which  was  "  a  veritable  consolation  for  her  Royal  Highness 
and  the  reward  of  the  pious  sentiments  by  which  she  is 
animated."  *  No  name,  however,  was  given  him,  and  he  was 
described  upon  his  coffin,  which  was  transported  to  Saint-Denis 
the  same  evening  and  laid  beside  that  of  his  sister,  as  the  "  Very 

high  and  very  puissant  Prince  N of  Artois,  grandson  of 

France." 

The  loss  of  this  little  son  was  a  sore  disappointment  to  the 
Due  de  Berry,  who  seems  to  have  felt  their  common  misfortune 

1  Moniteur,  September  14,  1818. 


i24  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

far  more  keenly  than  the  young  mother,  who  soon  recovered 
her  health  and  was  as  indefatigable  as  ever  in  her  pursuit  of 
pleasure.  Calling  one  day  at  the  Palais-Royal  and  finding  the 
little  Due  de  Chartres — a  great  favourite  of  his — with  Louis- 
Philippe,  he  drew  the  boy  to  him,  and  observed,  with  a  melan- 
choly smile:  "Here  is  a  fine  lad,  who  has  perhaps  a  high 
fortune  before  him.  My  wife  cannot  give  me  any  more  children, 
or,  at  any  rate,  nothing  but  daughters,  and  then  the  Crown  will 
pass  to  your  son."  To  which  the  Due  d'Orleans  replied,  with 
his  usual  tact :  "  At  least,  Monseigneur,  if  one  day  he  should 
obtain  the  Crown,  it  will  be  you  who  will  give  it  him,  as  a  second 
father ;  for  you  are  younger  than  I,  and  my  son  would  receive 
all  from  your  kindness." x 

The  Due  de  Berry's  fears  were  groundless,  since  his  wife  duly 
bore  him  another  son,  though  the  prince  did  not  live  to  see  that 
happy  day,  nor  was  the  boy  ever  to  ascend  the  throne  of  his 
ancestors. 

The  year  1819  was  probably  the  happiest  in  all  the  long  and 
eventful  life  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  In  spite  of  the  loss  of 
her  two  children,  she  was  too  young  and  of  too  buoyant  a  dis- 
position to  feel  much  discouragement  on  that  score,  and  looked 
forward  with  confidence  to  a  time  when,  thanks  to  her,  the 
impoverished  stalk  of  the  lily  would  blossom  abundantly  again. 
She  loved  her  husband,  and  knew  that,  notwithstanding  his 
infidelities,  in  which,  however,  his  senses  were  far  more  concerned 
than  his  heart,  he  loved  her  too.  She  enjoyed  the  affection  of 
the  King  and  the  whole  Royal  Family  ;  her  Household  was 
devoted  to  her ;  she  was  very  popular  with  the  Court  and  still 
more  so  with  the  people.  In  short,  her  lot  seemed  one  which 
any  princess  might  well  envy. 

The  winter  season  was  a  very  brilliant  one,  and  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  passed  her  days  in  a  whirl  of  gaiety.  Her  favourite 
pastime  of  dancing,  was,  however,  speedily  prohibited  by  her 
physicians,  for  in  January  she  was  again  in  a  hopeful  condition, 
and  on  March  12,  Louis  XVIII.,  in  receiving  a  deputation  from 
the  city  of  Bordeaux,  the  first  town  in  France  to  open  its  gates 
to  the  Bourbons  in  18 14,  observed  that,  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  the  event  of  which  that  day  was  the  anniversary, 
"he  had  a  name  to  give  some  one  who  had  not  yet  arrived." 

1   Nettement,  Memoires  sur  S.A.J?.  Madame,  la  Duchesse  de  Berri. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  125 

A  month  later,  the  news  was  officially  announced  in  the 
Moniteur. 

To  guard  against  the  possibility  of  a  repetition  of  the  mishap 
of  the  preceding  year,  the  doctors  insisted  on  the  most  rigorous 
precautions.  Not  only  was  the  slightest  fatigue  forbidden  the 
princess,  but  carriage  exercise  as  well,  even  the  short  drive  to 
the  Tuileries.  When  she  dined  there,  she  went  on  foot,  leaning 
on  her  husband's  arm,  or,  if  the  weather  happened  to  be  wet, 
made  use  of  a  wheel-chair. 

When  the  spring  came,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  passed  a  good 
deal  of  their  time  in  the  beautiful  gardens  of  the  Elysee.  "  They 
made  up  games  there,"  writes  Madame  de  Gontaut,  "which 
amused  them  very  much  ;  the  wives,  children,  and  husbands  of 
their  Households  came  there  continually,  especially  on  Sundays. 
Nothing  could  be  gayer  or  more  agreeable  than  was  Mon- 
seigneur's  behaviour  to  those  about  him.  All  amused  themselves 
and  were  on  good  terms  with  one  another  ;  they  were  happy  and 
perfectly  at  their  ease." * 

The  patience  with  which  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  resigned 
herself  to  the  regimen  imposed  upon  her  by  her  physicians  was 
duly  rewarded,  and,  at  a  few  minutes  after  half-past  six  on  the 
morning  of  September  21,  she  brought  into  the  world  a  fine  and 
healthy  child.  But,  alas  !  it  was  not  the  son  so  eagerly  desired, 
but  a  daughter,  the  future  Duchess  of  Parma,  who,  by  a  singular 
coincidence,  was,  like  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  to  see  her  husband 
assassinated  and  her  son  exiled  and  despoiled  of  his  throne. 

When  the  sex  of  the  new  arrival  was  announced  by  the 
surgeons,  the  Royal  Family  and  the  princes  assembled  round  the 
bed  could  notconceal  their  disappointment,  but  the  young  mother, 
smiling  at  their  downcast  looks,  exclaimed  gaily:  "After  the 
girl,  the  boy."  The  King,  having  in  accordance  with  custom, 
communicated  the  news  to  the  Ministers  and  the  great 
dignitaries  of  the  Court  assembled  in  the  adjoining  salon,  the 
Due  de  Berry  took  the  child  from  the  surgeons  and  placed  her 
for  a  moment  in  his  wife's  arms.  Then  Madame  de  Gontaut, 
who,  to  the  disgust  of  the  "  Ultras,"  who  had  not  forgiven  that 
lady  her  former  close  connexion  with  the  Orleans  family,  had 
been  nominated  to  the  exalted  post  of  gonvernante  of  the 
children  of  France,  received  the  little  Mademoiselle  from  her 
mother,  placed  her  on  an  immense  cushion,  and,  preceded  by 

1  Memoires. 


126  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

the  Grand  Master  of  the  Ceremonies,  bore  her  through  a  double 
line  of  the  Gardes  du  corps  to  the  apartments  which  had  been 
prepared  for  her. 

Arrived  there,  the  Grand  Master,  with  a  profound  salutation, 
retired,  and  Madame  de  Gontaut,  herself  a  very  fond  mother, 
yielded  to  a  very  natural  impulse,  and,  sitting  down,  began  to 
hug  "her  precious  treasure,"  when  the  cradle-maid  advanced 
and  intimated  respectfully  yet  firmly  that  she  was  committing  a 
grave  breach  of  the  etiquette  of  the  royal  nursery,  which  reserved 
to  herself  the  exclusive  right  of  holding  the  little  princess,  while 
the  gouvernante  could  only  give  orders.  Just  then  the  Due  de 
Berry  entered,  and,  smiling,  advised  Madame  de  Gontaut  to 
establish  herself  as  mistress  forthwith,  "so  as  to  be  able  to 
enjoy  with  him  and  Madame1  a  domestic  happiness,  which 
might  possibly  be  bourgeois,  but  which  was  the  only  real  one." 
"  Whereupon,"  continues  the  lady,  "  I  told  the  elegant  and  pre- 
tentious attendants  to  go  and  lie  down  in  the  adjoining  room, 
assuring  them  that  I  would  summon  them  when  I  considered 
their  services  necessary.  This  being  said  in  Monseigneur's 
presence,  and  evidently  by  his  advice,  produced  an  effect  whose 
benefits  I  felt  until  the  education  of  the  princes  was  finished."  2 

The  little  princess  was  baptized  the  same  day,  and  her 
certificate  of  birth  was  signed  by  the  whole  Royal  Family,  the 
Princes  and  Princesses  of  the  Blood,  the  Ministers,  the  Grand 
Officers  of  the  Crown,  and  a  number  of  other  distinguished 
persons.  In  all,  thirty-eight  signatures  were  attached  to  the 
document. 

On  the  following  evening,  the  Due  de  Berry  visited  the 
Opera,  where  his  appearance  was  the  signal  for  enthusiastic 
applause,  which  was  renewed  when  Derivis  sang  a  cantata,  the 
words  of  which  had  been  written  by  the  celebrated  chansonnier 
Desaugiers.     It  concluded  thus : 

"  Lys  eclatant  de  majeste, 
Le  sol  sacre  de  la  patrie 
A  tressailli  de  volupte, 
Voyant  sa  tige  refleurie. 


1  Although,  throughout  her  Mfaioires,  Madame  de  Gontaut  always  speaks  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  as  Madame,  the  princess  did  not  assume  that  title  until  after  the 
death  of  Louis  XVIII.,  in  1824. 

8  Madame  de  Gontaut,  Memoires.  By  "  princes  "  the  writer  intends  us  to  under- 
stand Mademoiselle  and  the  Due  de  Bordeaux. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  127 

Ah  !  ce  premier  de  tes  presents 

De  plus  d'une  autre  est  l'assurance. 

Produis  une  fleur  tous  les  ans, 

C'est  pour  le  Roi.     C'est  pour  la  France  !  " 

Making  every  allowance  for  poetic  rhapsodies,  the  de- 
mand for  a  fresh  blossom  every  year  seems  a  little  un- 
reasonable ! 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  soon  recovered  her  health ;  on 
October  27  she  dined  at  the  Tuileries,  for  the  first  time  since 
her  confinement,  and,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  All  Saints'  Day, 
she  and  the  duke  paid  an  unofficial  visit  to  the  Salon.  "  The 
crowd  was  still  rather  large  and  pressed  about  them,  restrained 
less  by  the  guards  of  the  Museum,  who  preceded  them,  than 
by  the  fear  of  inconveniencing  the  princess,  who,  taking  her 
husband's  arm  and  following  the  balustrade,  stopped  before  not 
a  few  of  those  charming  genre  pictures  which  line  the  Salon. 
On  the  same  day,  their  Royal  Highnesses  were  to  visit  the 
studio  of  M.  Girodet,  to  view  in  particular  the  picture  of 
Pygmalion  et  Galatce" l 

Mention  of  pictures  recalls  the  fact  that  it  was  in  this 
year  18 19  that  Hesse  painted  his  charming  portrait  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry.  The  princess  had  conceived  the  idea 
of  being  represented  not  en  grand  habit,  for,  as  she  herself 
declared,  her  little  figure  seemed  to  be  crushed  beneath  the 
diadems  and  jewels  of  the  magnificent  Court  toilette,  but  in  the 
ordinary  outdoor  costume  affected  by  fashionable  Parisian  ladies 
at  this  period.  It  cannot  be  called  an  altogether  elegant  style 
of  dress,  but  then  she  had  the  ease  which  would  render  possible 
the  worst  monstrosities  of  feminine  attire  ;  and  the  result  is 
most  happy.  Her  oval  face,  framed  in  blonde  curls,  is  surmounted 
by  a  monumental  hat  of  black  velvet  adorned  with  plumes  ;  her 
bust  is  confined  within  a  very  high-waisted  redingote,  which 
imprisons  a  fichu  fallen  from  her  shoulders.  "Never  will  she 
be  more  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  than  on  this  canvas,  neither 
pretty  nor  very  sovereign,  but  rather  bewitching,  in  such  a  way 
that  nothing  determines  the  supreme  seduction.  .  ,  .  Look  at  this 
portrait.2     It  is  Marie- Caroline  at  her  best — the  Marie-Caroline 

1  Moniteur,  November  4,  18 19. 

2  The  original  is  now  at  Frohsdorf ;  there  is  an  excellent  engraving  of  it, 
and  a  miniature  copy,  executed  by  Madame  Andouin,  in  the  possession  of  the 
Baron  de  Mesnard. 


128  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

of  the  happy  days — she  who  trots  along  the  boulevard ;  who 
frequents  the  shops,  who  rambles  in  the  Beaujon  moun- 
tains, and  threatens  her  father-in-law  to  take  a  ride  in  the 
omnibus."  1 

1  M.  Henri  Bouchot,  le  Luxe  Francais  :  la  Restauration. 


CHAPTER   X 

Brilliant  winter  season  of  1819-20— Balls  at  the  Elysee — The  Duchesse  de  Berry 
accompanies  her  husband's  shooting-parties — Threatening  political  situation — 
Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Comte  Decazes— Violent  hostility  of  the  "  Ultras  "  to  the  King's 
favourite — Election  of  the  Abbe  Gregoire  for  Grenoble — Proposed  alteration  of  the 
electoral  system — Decazes  becomes  Prime  Minister — Happy  influence  of  married  life 
upon  the  character  of  the  Due  de  Berry — His  charity  and  kindness  of  heart — 
Anecdote  of  the  boy  with  the  basket — Anecdote  of  the  charcoal-burner — Threatening 
anonymous  letters  received  by  the  Due  de  Berry — Gloomy  presentiments  of  the 
prince — Ball  at  the  Comte  de  Greffulhe's — A  disturbing  letter — Regret  of  the  Due  de 
Berry  for  his  loss  of  temper  at  a  shooting-party  :  his  atonement — The  duchess  again 
pregnant — Visit  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the  Opera  on  the  evening  of 
Shrove- Sunday,  February  13,  1S20. 

THE  winter  season  of  1819-20  was  a  most  brilliant  one, 
and  up  to  the  end  of  the  Carnival  the  fetes  succeeded 
one  another  almost  without  interruption. 
The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  gave  two  great  balls,  one 
in  December,  the  other  at  the  end  of  January.  The  last  was  a 
particularly  splendid  affair.  It  began  at  half-past  ten  ;  supper 
was  served  at  half-past  two,  and  dancing  continued  until  nearly 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry's  toilette 
on  this  occasion  was  "tine  robe  de  bal  lamde  d' argent,  a  bouquets 
bleus,partire  de  turquoises  et  diamants."  1 

The  princess  did  not  confine  her  energies  to  balls,  recep- 
tions, and  other  indoor  amusements.  Her  husband  had  had  a 
light  gun  with  silver  mountings  made  for  her,  and  was  teaching 

1  If  we  are  to  believe  Castellane,  much  surprise  was  expressed  that  the  ball  had 
not  been  postponed,  on  account  of  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Kent,  which  had 
occurred  on  the  23rd.  "  People  have  been  generally  astonished  by  this  ball,"  he 
writes,  "  as  the  Due  de  Berry  was  aware  of  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Kent  and  had 
lived  on  intimate  terms  with  the  English  Royal  Family  during  the  Emigration.  He 
gave  as  a  pretext  that  this  death  had  not  been  officially  notified  ;  but  no  one  has 
found  this  excuse  sufficient.  Some  people  pretend  that  the  English  Ambassador 
was  asked  to  defer  the  notification.  One  does  not  forget  how  kind  the  Duke  of 
Kent  was  to  the  princes  in  their  misfortune.  It  shows,  at  least,  want  of  tact." — 
Journal  dn  Markhal  de  Castellane,  January  29,  1820. 
K  129 


130  A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

her  to  shoot ;  and  sometimes,  dressed  in  a  coquettish  toilette  de 
chasse  consisting  of  a  "  redingote  of  green  velvet  with  lapels 
of  amaranth  velvet  and  gilt  buttons,  and  a  hat  of  black  felt 
adorned  with  feathers,"  she  accompanied  him  on  his  shooting 
expeditions.  Thus,  on  January  17,  1820,  we  find  her  assisting 
at  a  shooting-party  at  La  Muette,  on  which  occasion  she 
proudly  records  in  her  journal  that  "her  Charles  had  killed  four 
boars,  seven  roebuck,  four  pheasants  and  a  rabbit."1 

If  the  social  horizon  was  without  a  cloud,  the  political  one, 
which  for  some  months  had  been  comparatively  serene,  was 
again  overcast,  and  the  King's  speech  at  the  opening  of  the 
session  of  the  Chambers,  on  November  23,  alluded  in  unmistak- 
able terms  to  the  political  passions  which  were  threatening  to 
rend  the  country  asunder :  "  I  cannot  conceal  from  myself  that 
just  motives  of  apprehension  mingle  with  our  hopes,  and  claim 
henceforward  our  most  serious  attention.  A  vague  but 
positive  anxiety  preoccupies  all  minds.  Every  one  demands 
of  the  present  pledges  of  its  stability.  The  nation  but  im- 
perfectly enjoys  the  fruits  of  peace  and  good  order  ;  it  fears  to 
see  them  snatched  away  by  the  violence  of  factions,  it  fears 
their  thirst  for  domination  ;  it  is  alarmed  by  the  too  obvious 
expression  of  their  designs." 

Faction,  indeed,  at  that  moment  reigned  supreme,  and  Louis 
XVIII.  found  himself  in  a  very  embarrassing  position.  Com- 
pelled after  Waterloo  to  part  with  his  beloved  Blacas,  the  King 
to  whom  a  favourite,  male  or  female,  was  a  necessity  of  existence 
had  replaced  him  by  the  Comte  Decazes,2  a  comparatively 
young  man  of  middle-class  origin,  who,  after  being  judge  of  the 

1  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  Marie-  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry. 

2  "A  favourite  is  a  necessity  to  the  King.  .  .  .  Before  the  Revolution  and 
during  a  part  of  the  Emigration,  the  Comtesse  de  Balby  ruled  him.  She  took  it 
into  her  head  to  have  twins  by  the  Comte  Archambaud  de  Perigord.  The  King, 
who  had  up  till  then  been  the  best  friend  of  the  lovers,  sent  her  by  M.  d'Hautefort, 
for  a  long  time  very  much  favoured  by  her,  a  note  in  which  he  wrote  to  her  :  '  The 
wife  of  Csesar  ought  to  be  above  suspicion.'  Madame  de  Balby  replied  :  '  I.  I  am 
not  your  wife.  2.  You  are  not  Caesar.  3.  You  are  well  aware  that  you  are  not  in 
a  condition  to  entertain  or  to  cause  any  jealousy  to  a  woman.'  Louis  XVIII. 
deprived  her  of  all  her  pensions.  He  has  restored  them  to  her  since  the  Restoration, 
but  he  refuses  to  see  her,  and  has  even  forbidden  her  the  Tuileries.  .  .  .  For  a  long 
time  he  declined  to  speak  to  the  Comte  Archambaud  de  Perigord.  His  Majesty  said 
that  he  had  destroyed  all  his  happiness.  The  King,  after  the  disgrace  of  Madame  de 
Balby,  took  M.  d'Avaray  for  favourite.  When  he  lost  him,  he  consoled  himself 
promptly  with  M.  de  Blacas,  who  was  succeeded  by  M.  Decazes." — Journal  du 
Marichal  de  Castellane,  January  15,  1820. 


ELIE,    DUC   DECAZES 

FROM    AN    ENGRAVING    BY    P.  TOSCHI,    AFTER   THE    PAINTING    BY    F.  GERARD 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  131 

Tribunal  of   the  Seine   and  confidential  counsellor    to  Louis 
Bonaparte  at  the  Hague,  had,  from    181 1  to  the  close  of  the 
Empire,  filled  the  post  of  private  secretary  to  Madame  Mfre, 
Napoleon's  mother.      Appointed,  as  the  reward  of  his  fidelity 
to  the  Bourbons  during  the  Hundred  Days,  Prefect  of  Police, 
in  which  position  he  showed  much   firmness  and  tact  in  very 
difficult    circumstances,    Decazes    was   brought   into    personal 
contact  with   his    Sovereign,  upon  whom    his   handsome   face, 
insinuating  manners,  and  powers  of  conversation  made  a  most 
favourable    impression.       On     the    dismissal   of     Fouche,   he 
entered  the   Cabinet  as  Minister  of  Police,  and,  having  the  art 
to  persuade  the  old  King  that  he  was  only  his  pupil  in  politics 
and  that  he  owed  all  his  success  to  him,  speedily  became  the 
most   powerful   personage   in   France.     Louis  XVIII.,   indeed, 
regarded   him  as  "  his   work,"  conceived  for    him    an    almost 
paternal   affection,1   loaded    him   with   honours,    and    allowed 
himself  to  be  guided  almost  entirely  by  his  counsels.     To  the 
inspiration    of   Decazes    was    due    the    celebrated   decree    of 
September  5,  1816,  by  which  the  reactionary  "  Chambre  introuv- 
able"  was  dissolved.     It  was  he  who  did  most  to  put  an  end  to 
the  White   Terror.     It  was  he   who   was   responsible  for   the 
Electoral    Law  of   18 17,2  the   Press    Law  of   18 19,  and   other 
measures  designed  to  reconcile  the  government  of  Louis  XVIII. 
with  liberal  ideas. 

The  moderate  views  of  Decazes  aroused  the  violent  hostility 
of  the  "Ultras,"  who  saw  in  the  parvenu  statesman  only  a 
dangerous  revolutionary  ;  and  his  policy  produced  the  singular 
result  that  the  friends  of  the  Monarchy  became  the  enemies  of 
the  Ministry,  and  that  the  Ministry  was  supported  by  the 
enemies  of  the  Monarchy.  Nevertheless,  for  a  time,  it  seemed 
to  answer  well  enough,  although,  in  March  18 19,  the  King  was 
obliged  to  create  a  batch  of  new  peers,  in  order  to  neutralise  the 
systematic  opposition  of  the  "  Ultras  "  in  the  Upper  Chamber. 

But  the  constant  success  of  the  advanced  Liberals  in  the 
annual  elections  and  the  boldness  of  their  demands  began  to 
alarm  both  the  King  and  his  Minister,  and  the  climax  was 
reached  when,  in  the  elections  of  18 19,  the  Abbe  Gregoire,  who 
was  credited  with  having  voted  for  the  execution  of  Louis  XVL, 

1  In  his  letters  the  King  invariably  addressed  the  Minister  as  "my  son." 
s  This  law  extended  the  franchise  to  all  who  paid  300  francs  in  direct  taxes,  and 
provided  that  one-fifth  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  should  retire  every  year. 


132  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  who  had  declared  in  the  Convention  that  "kings  were 
morally  what  monsters  were  physically,"  was  returned  for 
Grenoble. 

"  Well,  brother,"  observed  Monsieur  to  the  King  when  the 
news  of  Gregoire's  election  arrived,  "you  see  at  length  whither 
they  are  leading  you."  "  I  know  it,  brother,"  was  the  reply. 
"  I  know  it,  and  I  shall  guard  against  it."  That  same  evening, 
Decazes  received  instructions  from  the  King  to  prepare  an 
alteration  of  the  existing  electoral  system,  and  a  bill  was 
accordingly  drafted  by  the  latter  which  substituted  a  complete 
change  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  every  seven  years  for  a 
partial  renewal  each  year,  and  divided  the  country  into  two 
electoral  nations  ;  the  plebeian  nation  nominating  half  the 
deputies  in  the  chief  towns  of  their  respective  districts,  and  the 
nation  of  the  aristocracy  of  wealth,  composed  of  proprietors 
paying  taxes  to  the  amount  of  iooo  francs,  nominating  the 
other  half  in  the  capitals  of  the  departments.  Three  members 
of  the  Cabinet,  the  Baron  Louis,  Minister  of  Finance,  Gouvion 
Saint-Cyr,  and  Dessolles,  refused  to  lend  themselves  to  the 
alteration  of  the  old  law  and  resigned  ;  and  a  new  Ministry 
was  formed,  of  which  Decazes  himself  was  the  head  as  President 
of  the  Council  and  Minister  of  the  Interior. 

The  proposals  of  the  Government  did  not,  as  the  King  and 
Decazes  had  hoped,  succeed  in  propitiating  the  "  Ultras,"  who 
declined  to  rally  to  the  support  of  the  Ministry  and  continued 
their  attacks  on  the  favourite ;  while  it  alienated  even  the  most 
moderate  Liberals  and  excited  a  storm  of  indignation  among 
the  deputies  of  the  extreme  Left  and  their  supporters  in  the 
country.  "M.  Decazes,"  says  Lamartine,  "was  proceeding 
blindfold  to  the  ruin  of  the  throne  which  he  wished  to  consoli- 
date. He  had  made  a  coup  d'itat  on  September  5  [18 16] 
against  the  Royalists  ;  he  was  about  to  be  compelled  by  the 
opposition  of  the  Chamber  to  make  a  second  against  the 
Liberals.  But  the  coup  cTttat  against  the  Royalists  only  de- 
throned a  party ;  that  against  the  Liberals  dethroned  a  public 
opinion  which  had  become  a  popular  passion  with  the  mass  of 
the  nation." 

However,  before  this  unfortunate  measure  was  formally  in- 
troduced, a  terrible  catastrophe  occurred,  which  horrified  Europe, 
plunged  the  nation  into  mourning,  ruined  Decazes,  and  com- 
pletely revolutionised  the  political  situation. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  133 

The  Due  de  Berry  was  not  favourable  to  Decazes,  and  for  a 
time  had  united  with  his  father  and  Madame  in  fomenting 
opposition  to  his  policy.  But  of  late,  out  of  respect  for  the  King, 
he  had  abstained  from  combating  the  favourite  and,  imitating 
the  prudent  tactics  of  his  wife,  had  assumed  an  attitude  of 
reserve  and  no  longer  took  any  part  in  the  intrigues  of  the 
Pavilion  de  Marsan.  If  his  predilection  for  gallantry  remained 
as  pronounced  as  ever,  in  other  respects  the  character  of  the 
prince  had  certainly  changed  for  the  better  since  his  marriage. 
Married  life  seemed  to  have  softened  that  irascible  temper 
which  had  once  been  so  sore  a  trial  to  those  about  him  ;  he 
was  less  impatient  of  contradiction,  more  disposed  to  make 
allowance  for  others,  and  more  sympathetic  ;  while  his  generosity 
was  boundless.  It  has  been  calculated  that  in  six  years  he 
dispensed  in  charity  close  upon  1,400,000  francs,  an  immense 
sum  for  a  prince  whose  income  was  much  smaller  than  those  of 
many  private  individuals.  "  All  these  gifts,"  writes  Chateau- 
briand, "were  accompanied  by  attentions  which  doubled  their 
value.  The  prince  and  princess,  following  the  precept  of  the 
Gospel,  visited  the  unfortunate  to  whom  they  rendered  assistance. 
Sometimes  they  mutually  concealed  their  good  works.  As 
they  were  going  out  one  day  together,  a  poor  woman  presented 
herself  before  them  with  her  children.  The  youngest  of  the 
girls  artlessly  ran  up  to  the  princess.  '  I  have  taken  her 
under  my  care,'  observed  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  blushing. 
1  Excellent ! '  replied  the  prince.  '  I  like  you  to  increase  the 
number  of  our  family.'  " 1 

The  same  writer  relates  several  pretty  stories  of  the  duke's 
goodness  of  heart. 

On  one  occasion,  as  he  was  driving  through  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne,  on  his  way  to  Bagatelle,jhe  met  a  small  boy  stagger- 
ing beneath  the  weight  of  an  enormous  basket.  Stopping  his 
cabriolet,  he  called  out :  "  Little  man,  where  are  you  going  ? " 
"  To  La  Muette  with  this  basket."  "  It  is  too  heavy  for  you. 
Give  it  to  me  ;  I  will  leave  it  as  I  pass."  The  basket  was 
willingly  surrendered,  and  the  prince,  after  inquiring  the  boy's 
name  and  address,  drove  on  and  delivered  it  at  its  destination. 
On  his  return  to  Paris,  he  went  to  find  the  lad's  father.  "  I  met 
your  little  boy,"  said  he,  in  his  blunt  way  ;  "  you  make  him  carry 
baskets  that  are  too  heavy  for  him  ;  you  will  injure  his  health 

1  Chateaubriand,  la  Vie  et  la  mort  du  due  de  Berry, 


134  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  prevent  him  growing.  Buy  him  a  donkey  to  carry  his 
basket."  And  he  gave  the  man  money  to  purchase  the 
donkey. 

Another  time,  he  was  walking  with  one  of  his  gentlemen  on 
the  banks  of  the  Seine,  when  he  came  upon  an  excited  group  of 
charcoal-burners,  who  were  endeavouring  to  prevent  one  of 
their  number  from  throwing  himself  into  the  river.  The  prince 
questioned  the  men,  who  were  ignorant  of  his  identity,  and 
learned  that  it  was  the  loss  of  four  hundred  francs  which  had 
driven  their  comrade  to  despair.  Not  without  difficulty,  he 
succeeded  in  persuading  the  poor  fellow  to  postpone  for  half  an 
hour  any  further  attempt  to  end  his  life,  and  whispered  a  few 
words  to  the  gentleman  who  was  with  him.  The  latter  hurried 
back  to  the  Elysee,  and  presently  returned  with  twenty 
louis,  which  the  prince  handed  to  the  would-be  suicide.  Great 
was  the  astonishment  of  the  charcoal-burners  to  learn  that  the 
gentleman  who  had  been  talking  so  familiarly  with  them  was 
the  Due  de  Berry  ! 

Unhappily  in  France,  political  passions  have  never  taken 
much  account  of  private  virtues,  and  the  good  qualities  of  the 
prince,  which  endeared  him  to  so  many,  did  not  save  him  from 
the  hatred  of  the  fanatical  enemies  of  the  Restoration,  who 
recognised  that  it  was  upon  him  that  the  continuance  of  the 
elder  branch  of  the  Bourbons  depended. 

For  some  time  past,  the  Due  de  Berry  had  been  haunted  by 
the  most  sinister  presentiments.  He  was  continually  receiving 
anonymous  letters  containing  threats  against  his  life,  and 
others  which,  when  opened,  diffused  so  overpowering  an  odour 
as  to  give  rise  to  the  belief  that  they  had  been  impregnated 
with  some  poison.  Brave  to  the  point  of  recklessness,  the 
prince  was  at  first  inclined  to  treat  these  epistles  with  contempt, 
but  the  frequency  of  their  arrival  ended  by  producing  upon  him 
a  very  unpleasant  impression.  Madame  de  Gontaut  relates 
that,  one  day  soon  after  she  had  succeeded  Madame  de  la 
Ferronays  as  dame  d'atours  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  her  mis- 
tress, in  the  presence  of  the  duke,  suggested  that,  as  the  apart- 
ments which  had  been  allotted  to  her  were  very  handsome 
and  spacious,1  she  ought  to  give  some  balls,  which  would  be 

1  They  were  the  apartments  which  had  been  occupied  by  the  little  King  of  Rome, 
and  showed  everywhere  signs  of  the  care  which  had  been  bestowed  on  him.     The 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  135 

infinitely  more  amusing  than  the  official  ones  which  took  place 
at  the  Elysee,  since  she  need  only  invite  whom  she  pleased,  and 
all  ceremony  could  be  dispensed  with.  "Come,"  said  the 
princess,  "  it  is  a  promise,  is  it  not  ?  You  will  give  some 
balls  ? " 

"Being  very  disposed  to  do  so,"  continues  Madame  de 
Gontaut,  "  I  was  about  to  reply  to  this  order,  when  Monseigneur 
observed  sadly :  '  Caroline,  you  think  of  nothing  but  amusing 
yourselves.'  'Eh!  why  not  ? '  replied  she.  'I  am  so  young.' 
And,  stamping  her  foot,  though  she  was  smiling  the  while,  she 
placed  her  pretty  hand  over  his  mouth,  and  said  to  him  : 
'  Don't  go  and  speak  to  me  again  about  my  being  left  a  widow ; 
it  is  the  current  jest,  but  I  find  it  insupportable.'  Monseigneur 
smiled  sadly :  '  I  am  wrong,'  said  he,  '  but  it  is  a  fixed  idea  of 
mine ;  for  some  time  past  I  have  been  thinking  of  thy  widow- 
hood.' '  A  singular  pleasantry  '  said  Madame.  And,  taking  me 
by  the  arm,  she  drew  me  out  of  the  room.     He  followed  us. 

"  I  ought  to  observe  here  that  Monseigneur  had  adopted  the 
habit  of  foreign  princes,  who  address  their  wives  in  the  second 
person  singular,  even  in  public. 

"  The  jest  about  widowhood  had,  for  some  time  past,  been 
often  repeated,  although  Madame  could  not  endure  it.  We 
talked  about  it  sometimes  without  being  able  to  understand  it. 
M.  de  Nantouilles  had  remarked  it,  and  feared  that  Monseigneur 
had  received  some  anonymous  letters. 

"  Some  time  afterwards,  Monseigneur  being  alone  in  the 
salon,  called  me,  took  me  into  his  cabinet,  and  showed  me  an 
opened  letter.  '  Look,'  said  he,  '  I  am  sure  that  this  paper  is 
poisoned.  Don't  touch  it ;  when  I  opened  it,  I  experienced 
a  horrible  sensation.  The  letter  amounts  to  nothing  and  can 
give  no  clue  ;  it  is  an  appeal  for  assistance,  unsigned  and 
without  an  address.'  I  begged  him  to  warn  M.  Decazes.  I  do 
not  know  if  he  did  so  ;  but  he  charged  me  to  keep  the  matter 
a  secret,  fearing  to  cause  Madame  uneasiness."  * 

An  incident  which  occurred  at  the  beginning  of  1820  served 
to  strengthen  the  Due  de  Berry's  apprehensions.  A  glass  panel 
in  the  grand  gallery  of  the  Elysee  suddenly  fell  out  and  was 
shivered  into  a  thousand  pieces.     The  prince,  who  was  decidedly 

panels  were  padded  as  high  as  the  head  of  a  child  six  or  seven  years  old,  and  the 
entire  suite  was  hung  with  green  silk,  so  as  to  preserve  the  eyes. 
1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Mhnoires. 


136  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

superstitious,  regarded  this  accident  as  of  evil  augury,  and  from 
that  moment  he  appears  to  have  been  as  convinced  that  he  was 
shortly  to  perish  by  a  violent  death  as  his  great  ancestor  Henri 
IV.  is  said  to  have  been  before  the  crime  of  Ravaillac. 

However,  the  brilliant  fetes  which  filled  the  last  days  of  the 
Carnival  seemed  to  dissipate  to  some  degree  these  gloomy  fore- 
bodings, and  the  prince  entered  with  all  his  accustomed  zest 
into  the  gaieties  of  that  merry  season.  On  the  night  of 
Saturday,  February  12,  1820,  he  and  the  duchess  attended  a 
magnificent  costume-ball  given  in  their  honour  by  Comte 
Greffulhe,  the  banker.  One  of  the  features  of  this  entertain- 
ment was  the  distribution  to  the  ladies  of  little  knives,  in 
allusion  to  an  opera,  les  Petites  Danaides,  which  was  just  then 
drawing  all  Paris  to  the  Porte  Saint-Martin.1  The  ladies  laughed 
gaily  as  the  knives  were  handed  round.  Twenty-four  hours 
later,  they  recalled  the  incident  with  a  shudder ! 

Although,  since  the  last  ball  at  the  Elysee,  dancing  was 
once  more  a  prohibited  pleasure  for  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — for, 
to  the  great  joy  of  her  husband,  signs  of  her  again  being  in  an 
interesting  condition  had  begun  to  manifest  themselves — she 
and  the  duke  remained  until  a  very  late  hour  and  appeared 
to  have  enjoyed  themselves  thoroughly.  The  duke,  however, 
must  have  been  not  a  little  surprised  by  the  conduct  of  his 
host,  who  had  followed  him  about  assiduously  the  whole  evening, 
with  a  countenance  more  in  keeping  with  a  funeral  than  a  fete. 
The  worthy  banker,  in  point  of  fact,  had  been  suffering  torments 
of  anxiety  on  the  prince's  account,  from  the  moment  that  the 
latter  entered  the  ball-room  until  he  saw  him  step  into  his 
carriage  to  return  to  the  Elysee  ;  and  his  ball,  which  had  given 
so  much  pleasure  to  all  his  guests,  had  been  for  him  nothing 
but  one  long  purgatory.  "  He  had  received  that  morning," 
writes  the  Comte  de  Rochechouart,  "  a  note  warning  him  that 
the  prince  would  be  assassinated  during  the  fete.  We  can 
understand  the  anguish  of  the  master  of  the  house,  not  daring 
to  warn  his  august  guest  or  to  leave  him  any  more  than  his 
shadow,  and  obliged  to  watch  the  movements  of  every  person 
who  approached  him.     Alas  !  the  crime  was  only  postponed."  2 

In  the  forenoon  of  that  same  Saturday,  the  Due  de  Berry 
had   gone   shooting   in    the   Bois   de   Boulogne.      Everything, 

1  Nettement,  Memoires  stir  Madame,  la  duchesse  de  Berri. 
"  Souvenirs  du  Co?nte  de  Rochechouart. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  137 

however,  had  gone  wrong  ;  a  crowd  of  curious  people  who  fol- 
lowed to  witness  the  sport  disturbed  the  game  and  distracted  the 
dogs.  The  huntsman  lost  his  head  ;  the  duke  his  temper,  and 
when  one  of  the  assistant  huntsmen,  named  Soubriard,  happened 
to  approach  his  Royal  Highness  at  a  particularly  irritating 
moment,  the  prince  vented  his  ill-humour  upon  him,  blamed 
him  very  unjustly  for  all  the  mishaps  of  the  day,  and  abused 
him  roundly. 

As  usual,  he  quickly  repented  of  his  violence,  and  returned 
to  the  Elysee  looking  so  melancholy  that,  when  he  went  to  pay 
his  afternoon  visit  to  his  little  daughter,  Madame  de  Gontaut 
remarked  upon  it.  "  Pity  me,"  said  he,  with  touching  frankness, 
"  I  have  just  wounded  the  heart  of  a  man,  whom  I  love  and 
who  would  give  his  life  for  me.  I  have  behaved  very  badly, 
very  wickedly ! "  At  that  moment,  he  took  hold  of  the  little 
princess,  who  was  in  Madame  de  Gontaut's  arms,  to  give  her  a 
kiss.  The  child  was  frightened  and  began  to  cry.  "She  is 
right,"  said  he,  "  to  be  afraid  of  a  wicked  man."  Madame  de 
Gontaut  thought  it  incumbent  upon  her  to  refuse  to  believe 
that  he  could  have  left  his  unfortunate  servant  without  any 
attempt  to  make  amends  for  his  injustice.  "  No,"  said  he,  "  you 
have  placed  your  finger  on  the  wound.  Poor,  poor  Soubriard  ! 
I  have  left  him  sad  and  unhappy."  Then  he  pressed  her  hand, 
and  added :  "  But  I  shall  not  forget  him  ;  the  day  is  not  yet 
over." 

"The  next  morning,  Shrove-Sunday,  February  13," continues 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  "the  Due  de  Berry  came  to  visit  his  child 
before  attending  the  King's  Mass.  He  embraced  her  warmly, 
and,  at  the  moment  of  taking  his  departure,  observed  to  me : 
4  Don't  scold  me  any  more.  On  leaving  you  yesterday,  I  signed 
an  order  which  will,  I  hope,  secure  Soubriard's  happiness  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  I  am  entrusting  the  service  of  my  daughter 
to  him  ;  he  is  to  be  her  huntsman.'  Then,  although  in  haste  to 
be  gone,  he  stopped  to  tell  me  in  confidence  that  he  was  certain 
that,  in  a  few  months,  Madame  would  contribute  to  his  happi- 
ness that  of  another  child.  '  I  have  reasons,'  he  repeated, '  which 
do  not  permit  of  any  further  doubt  about  it.'  Then  he  gave  me 
his  hand  and  said  '  Au  revoir  ! '  so  joyously  that  the  tears  came 
into  my  eyes,  so  much  was  I  affected  at  the  sight  of  the  happi- 
ness which  the  news  which  he  had  just  imparted  to  me  afforded 
him.     Poor  prince !     Little  did  he  think  that  it  would  become 


138  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

the  sole  consolation  which  my  heart  was  to  experience  on  that 
fatal  day  !  " 1 

The  13th  of  the  month  was  a  sinister  date  in  the  life  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry.  It  was  on  July  13,  18 17  that  she  had 
given  birth  to  a  daughter,  who  lived  but  a  day  ;  and  it  was  on 
September  13  in  the  following  year  that  she  had  brought  into 
the  world  a  son,  who  died  at  the  end  of  two  hours.  The  young 
princess,  however,  was  not  superstitious,  and  no  premonition  of 
the  terrible  tragedy  with  which  the  day  was  to  close  was 
permitted  to  cloud  her  happiness.  At  ten  o'clock,  she  repaired 
to  the  Tuileries,  where  she  held  her  usual  Sunday  "  drawing- 
room  "  and  gave  several  private  audiences.  Then  she  returned 
to  the  Elysee  and  spent  the  afternoon  in  Mademoiselle's  apart- 
ments, playing  with  the  child  and  discussing  the  ball  of  the 
previous  evening  with  Madame  de  Gontaut ;  and  at  a  quarter 
to  six  she  and  the  duke  drove  to  the  Tuileries  to  dine  with  the 
King  and  the  other  members  of  the  Royal  Family. 

Two  splendid  balls  were  to  be  given  that  evening  ;  one  by 
Marechal  Suchet,  Due  d'Albufera,  in  his  magnificent  hotel  in 
the  Rue  Faubourg  Saint-Honore  ;  the  other — a  masquerade — 
by  Madame  de  la  Briche,  in  the  Rue  de  la  Ville  l'Eveque.  The 
Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  originally  intended  to  be 
present  at  both  these  functions ;  but,  as  the  duchess  had 
remained  up  very  late  the  previous  night,  her  husband  did  not 
think  it  advisable  for  her  to  undergo  further  fatigue  in  the 
delicate  state  she  was  then  in  ;  and  they  accordingly  decided  to 
spend  the  evening  at  the  Opera,  where  there  was  to  be  an 
extraordinary  representation,  in  place  of  the  usual  Monday 
performance,  as  on  that  day  the  salle  would  be  required  for  a 
masked-ball. 

The  Opera-house  was  at  this  period  in  the  Rue  de  Richelieu, 
opposite  the  Bibliotheque  Royale,  and  occupied  the  site  of 
what  is  now  the  Place  Louvois.  It  had  five  tiers  of  boxes, 
including  those  on  the  rez-de-chaussce,  and  accommodation  for 
over  sixteen  hundred  spectators.  Its  exterior  was  far  from 
imposing ;  but  the  interior  was  considered  a  masterpiece  of 
elegance.  A  side-entrance  in  the  Rue  Rameau  was  reserved 
for  the  use  of  the  princes. 

The  programme,  which  was  an  unusually  long  one,  consisted  of 
three  pieces  :  leCarnavalde  Venise,  le  Rossignol,  and  les  Noces  de 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  139 

Gamache.  About  eight  o'clock,  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry- 
entered  their  box,  which  was  tastefully  upholstered  in  blue  silk 
and  situated  on  the  rez-de-chanssie,  immediately  below  that  of 
the  King.  The  first  piece  was  already  over  when  they  arrived, 
and  the  curtain  was  just  rising  on  le  Rossignol.  The  house  was 
filled  by  a  large  and  fashionable  audience,  and  every  box  on  the 
five  tiers  contained  its  complement  of  elegantly-dressed  women 
covered  with  jewels  and  their  attendant  cavaliers.  The  Due 
and  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  with  the  duke's  sister,  Madame  Adelaide, 
and  their  children,  were  in  a  box  near  the  prince  and  princess  ; 
and  the  two  families,  who  were  on  the  friendliest  terms,  saluted 
each  other  with  smiles  of  recognition.  Within  the  theatre  that 
night  all  was  life  and  gaiety. 

But  outside,  in  the  Rue  Rameau,  Death  waited  ! 


CHAPTER  XI 

Louvel — His  early  life — His  violent  animosity  against  the  Bourbons,  whom  he 
resolves  "  to  exterminate  " — He  determines  to  commence  operations  with  the  assassina- 
tion of  the  Due  de  Berry,  but  his  courage  repeated  ly  fails  him — His  conduct  on  the  night 
of  February  13,  1820 — The  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  the  Opera — The  princess, 
having  met  with  a  slight  accident,  decides  to  return  to  the  Elysee  before  the  end  of 
the  performance — The  duke  conducts  his  wife  to  her  carriage,  and  is  stabbed  by 
Louvel  as  he  turns  to  re-enter  the  Opera-house — Pursuit  and  capture  of  the  assassin 
— The  wounded  prince  is  carried  into  the  salon  behind  his  box — Courage  and 
presence  of  mind  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — An  extraordinary  scene — The  Due  de 
Berry  and  the  Bishop  of  Amyclee — Arrival  of  Monsieur  and  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme — A  futile  operation — Administration  of  the  last  Sacraments — Madame 
de  Gontaut  brings  Mademoiselle  to  the  Opera-house — The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  at  her 
husband's  request,  sends  for  the  duke's  daughters  by  Amy  Brown — Arrival  of 
Louis  XVIII. — "Sire,  grdee  grdce,  pour  la  vie  de  P/iommeJ" — The  last  moments 
— Death  of  the  Due  de  Berry. 

DEATH  waited  in  the  shape  of  "  a  little,  slender  man, 
wasted  by  internal  consumption,  of  a  bilious  com- 
plexion, pallid  and  wan,  in  a  constant  state  of  excite- 
ment, with  a  hard  glance,  compressed  lips,  and  a  suspicious 
face  ;  an  image  of  fanaticism  revolving  in  a  narrow  brain  some 
ill-comprehended  idea,  and  suffering,  until  his  fatal  hand  should 
have  relieved  him,  by  a  crime,  from  its  weight  and  its  martyrdom."1 
Louis  Pierre  Louvel  was  his  name  ;  he  was  a  saddler  by  trade, 
and  was  at  this  time  in  his  thirty-seventh  year,  having  been 
born  at  Versailles  on  October  7,  1783. 

Louvel's  parents  had  been  small  tradesmen  at  Versailles,  but 
they  had  both  died  when  he  was  very  young,  and  the  boy  had 
been  placed  by  an  elder  sister  in  one  of  those  State  institutes 
which  had  been  established  by  the  Convention  to  train  the 
children  of  the  country  in  republican  ideas.  The  teaching  he 
there  received  left  a  profound  impression  upon  his  mind,  and  he 
went  forth  into  the  world  a  fanatical  devotee  of  the  Revolution 
and  a  patriot  of  the  most  violent  type. 

1  Lamartine,  Histoire  de  la  Restaur ation. 
140 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  141 

The  glamour  of  Napoleon's  victories,  however,  served  to 
temper  his  revolutionary  ardour,  or  rather  to  transform  it  into 
an  equally  passionate  enthusiasm  for  the  Emperor,  who  personi- 
fied for  him  the  greatness  and  glory  of  France;  and,  after 
serving  his  apprenticeship  to  a  saddler  at  Monfort  l'Amaury 
and  plying  his  trade  for  a  while,  he  entered,  in  1806,  a  regiment 
of  artillery,  in  which,  however,  his  delicate  health  did  not  permit 
him  to  remain  more  than  six  months.  He  then  returned  to  his 
trade,  at  which  he  bore  the  character  of  being  a  sober,  industrious , 
and  capable  workman,  but  very  taciturn  and  unsociable,  and 
was  living  at  Metz  at  the  time  of  the  fall  of  the  Empire. 

The  sight  of  the  invasion  of  1814,  and  of  the  Royal  Family 
returning  under  the  protection  of  the  enemies  of  his  country, 
aroused  in  his  already  disordered  mind  the  most  violent 
exasperation,  and  from  that  moment  the  "  extermination  of  the 
Bourbons  "  became  with  him  a  veritable  monomania.  Obsessed 
by  this  idea,  he  walked  all  the  way  from  Metz  to  Calais,  with 
the  intention  of  assassinating  Louis  XVIII.,  at  the  moment  of 
his  landing  upon  French  soil.  But,  either  because  no  opportu- 
nity presented  itself,  or,  more  probably,  because  his  resolution 
failed  him,  he  made  no  attempt  to  execute  his  design.  Leaving 
Calais,  he  proceeded  to  Fontainebleau,  where  he  remained  three 
months,  and  thence,  by  way  of  Marseilles,  Bastia,  and  Leghorn, 
to  the  Isle  of  Elba.  The  chief  saddler  of  the  Imperial  stables 
gave  him  employment;  but  at  the  end  of  the  year  1814 
Napoleon  found  himself  obliged  to  curtail  the  expenses  of  his 
household,  and  Louvel  was  dismissed.  He  then  returned  to 
Leghorn,  and  from  there  to  Chambery,  and  it  was  while  he  was 
in  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Dukes  of  Savoy  that  he  learned  of 
Napoleon's  landing.  Without  a  word,  he  quitted  his  employer 
and  hurried  off  to  Lyons  to  rejoin  the  Emperor,  in  whose 
service  he  remained  up  to  Waterloo. 

After  the  Second  Restoration,  Louvel's  animosity  against 
the  Bourbons  became  more  violent  than  in  18 14,  and  he  was 
more  than  ever  determined  that  his  should  be  the  hand  to 
avenge  the  humiliation  of  his  country.  At  the  same  time,  he 
was  cunning  enough  to  dissimulate  his  feelings  towards  the 
Royal  Family  from  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and,  as 
he  himself  subsequently  declared,  "so  far  from  sharing  his 
secret  with  any  one,  he  did  not  even  once  suffer  himself  to  speak 
against  the  Bourbons." 


1 42  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

In  order  to  facilitate  his  design,  he  obtained  employment  as 
a  saddler  in  the  royal  stables  at  Versailles,  and  frequently 
followed  the  Court  hunting-parties,  always  carrying  a  poniard 
about  him.  After  long  hesitation,  he  had  decided  to  begin  with 
the  Due  de  Berry,  "  because  he  was  the  stock  of  the  family," 
after  him  to  kill  the  Due  d'Angouleme,  then  Monsieur,  and 
finally  the  King.  For  four  years  he  lurked  about  the  theatres, 
when  he  believed  that  his  destined  victim  intended  to  be  present, 
and  followed  him  to  the  chase,  the  public  promenades,  and  the 
churches.  During  this  period,  he  was  afforded  several  oppor- 
tunities of  executing  his  project ;  but,  when  the  crucial  moment 
arrived,  his  courage  invariably  failed  him. 

One  day,  he  had  lain  in  wait  for  the  Due  de  Berry  in  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne,  with  the  fullest  intention  of  assassinating 
him.  "  I  trembled  with  rage,"  he  says,  "  when  I  thought  of  the 
Bourbons.  I  had  witnessed  them  returning  with  the  foreigner, 
and  I  was  horrified  by  it.  Then  my  thoughts  took  a  different 
turn  ;  I  believed  myself  unjust  towards  them,  and  reproached 
myself  with  my  designs  ;  but  my  anger  immediately  returned. 
For  more  than  an  hour  I  remained  in  a  condition  of  uncertainty, 
and  had  not  yet  come  to  a  decision  when  the  prince  passed  by 
and  was  saved  for  that  day." 

On  the  evening  of  February  13,  1820,  Louvel  was  loitering 
outside  the  Opera-house  at  the  hour  fixed  for  the  beginning  of 
the  performance,  as  he  had  done  on  many  previous  occasions, 
when  he  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  Due  de  Berry  would  be 
there.  Two  or  three  days  before,  he  had  sought  to  fortify  him- 
self by  a  visit  to  Pere  Lachaise  to  contemplate  the  graves  of 
Lannes,  Massena,  and  other  heroes  of  the  Empire  ;  but,  despite 
the  inspiration  which  he  appears  to  have  derived  from  this 
pilgrimage,  the  arrival  of  the  prince  found  him  still  irresolute. 
But  let  us  listen  to  his  own  account  of  that  fatal  evening, 
o-iven  on  the  morrow  at  his  examination  by  the  Prefect  of 
Police : — 

"  I  arrived  at  Dubois's  cabaret  at  a  few  minutes  after  five, 
and  dined  there,  as  I  have  already  explained.  ...  At  about 
half-past  six,  I  left  the  cabaret,  and  went  up  to  my  room,  where  I 
armed  myself  with  my  second  dagger,  with  the  intention  of 
going,  as  had  been  my  almost  daily  custom  for  a  long  time  past, 
to  loiter  about  the  theatre  which  I  thought  it  most  probable 
that  the  prince  would  visit.     The  prince  and  princess  arrived 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  143 

about  eight  o'clock.  When  the  prince  alighted  from  his 
carriage  to  enter  the  theatre,  my  courage  failed  me,  as  had  been 
the  case  on  many  occasions.  The  order  was  given  in  a  loud 
voice  to  the  coachman  to  return  at  a  quarter  to  eleven.  I  made 
a  careful  note  of  the  time,  and  then  went  away.  I  went  down 
to  the  Palais-Royal,  where  the  first  inspiration  which  came  to 
me  was  to  go  to  bed.  I  turned  my  steps  homewards  with  that 
intention,  but,  recollecting  that  towards  the  end  of  the  month  I 
must  return  to  the  workshops  at  Versailles,  which  would  render 
it  difficult  for  me  to  realise  my  project,  I  felt  myself  again 
assailed  by  the  ideas  which  for  such  a  long  time  past  had 
unceasingly  occupied  my  thoughts,  and  I  decided  to  persevere 
in  my  designs.  I  walked  about  the  Palais-Royal  for  some  time, 
and  then  returned  to  the  Opera-house,  where  I  saw  the  carriages 
again  standing  at  the  entrance  leading  to  the  Due  de  Berry's 
box.     I  approached  them.  .  .  ." 

Meanwhile,  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry,  little  imagining 
that  they  were  only  separated  by  a  wall  from  the  man  who  was 
numbering  the  minutes  of  the  prince's  existence,  were  greatly 
enjoying  the  evening.  During  the  second  entr'acte,  they  paid 
a  visit  to  their  cousins'  box,  and  the  duke,  who  was  devoted  to 
children,  began  playing  with  the  little  Due  de  Chartres,  who 
was  doomed  like  himself  to  be  cut  off  in  the  flower  of  his  age. 
He  seemed  full  of  gaiety  and  good-humour,  and  the  audience, 
pleased  by  the  sight  of  this  family  gathering,  applauded  him 
several  times. 

When  the  curtain  rose  on  the  first  act  of  les  Noces  de 
Gamache,  the  prince  and  princess  took  leave  of  the  Orleans  to 
return  to  their  places.  As  they  were  passing  along  the  corridor, 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  struck  with  some  force  by  the  door 
of  a  box,  which  was  suddenly  thrown  violently  open  ;  and,  as  she 
already  seemed  rather  tired,  her  husband  advised  her  to  return 
to  the  Elys^e.  She  declined,  saying  that  she  wished  to  stay 
for  the  ballet,  but  during  the  next  entr'acte  she  exercised  the 
privilege  of  her  sex  and  announced  that  she  had  changed  her 
mind. 

The  duke  accordingly  gave  his  wife  his  arm  to  escort  her  to 
her  carriage,  after  which  he  intended  to  return  to  his  box  to 
witness  the  ballet,  in  which,  by  the  way,  Virginie  Oreille  was  to 
take  part.     Followed  by  the  Comte  de  Mesnard,  the  princess's 


144  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

first  equerry,  Madame  de  Bethisy,  her  dame  pour  accompagner  on 
duty  that  evening,  and  the  Comtes  de  Clermont-Lodeve  and 
Cesar  de  Choiseul,  the  aides-de-camp  in  attendance  on  the 
prince,  they  descended  the  private  staircase  and  reached  the 
entrance  leading  into  the  Rue  Rameau. 

The  princess's  carriage  was  at  the  door.  A  little  way  behind 
it  was  a  cabriolet,  opposite  which,  in  the  shadow  of  the  Opera- 
house  wall,  stood  a  man  wearing  a  green  redingote.  He  appeared 
to  be  an  inoffensive  spectator,  or  a  servant  who  was  waiting 
for  his  master,  and  attracted  nobody's  attention. 

This  man  was  Louvel ! 

The  Due  de  Berry  gave  his  right  hand  to  the  duchess  to 
assist  her  into  the  carriage  ;  the  Comte  de  Mesnard,  his  left ; 
Madame  de  Bethisy  followed  her  mistress.  The  duke,  who  was 
wearing  neither  hat  nor  cloak,  remained  standing  for  a  moment 
beneath  the  portico,  and,  waving  his  hand  to  his  wife,  cried 
gaily  :  "  Adieu,  Caroline  ;  we  shall  see  each  other  again  soon." 
The  footman  folded  up  the  steps  of  the  carriage,  and  the  prince 
turned  to  re-enter  the  theatre. 

At  that  instant,  Louvel  sprang  forward,  "passed  like  a 
bullet  between  the  carriage  and  the  sentry,"  1  who  was  in  the 
act  of  presenting  arms,  seized  the  prince  by  the  left  shoulder 
with  his  left  hand,  and  with  the  other  drove  his  dagger  deep  into 
his  right  breast. 

For  a  moment,  as  generally  happens,  the  victim  felt  only  the 
shock,  and  not  the  wound,  and,  imagining  that  he  had  received  a 
blow  from  the  shoulder,  exclaimed  :  "  Voila  un  fameux  brutal !  " 
while  the  Comte  G6sar  de  Choiseul,  believing  also  that  the  man 
had  accidently  collided  with  the  prince,  while  running,  caught 
hold  of  his  coat, 2  saying  angrily :  "  Take  care  what  you  are 
doing ! " 

Freeing  himself  from  the  count's  grasp,  the  assassin  fled  in 
the  direction  of  the  Rue  de  Richelieu,  leaving  the  weapon  in  the 
wound  ;  and  the  duke,  putting  his  hand  to  the  place  where  he 
had  been  struck,  felt  the  hilt  of  the  poniard.  "  I  am  assassi- 
nated ! "  he  cried.  "  I  have  got  the  dagger !  "  And  he 
plucked  out  the  reeking  weapon  and  handed  it  to  the  Comte  de 

1  Deposition  du  comte  de  Choiseul,  March  6,  1820,  in  Charles  Nauroy,  les  Derniers 
Bourbons  :  le  Due  de  Bewy  et  Louvel. 

2  Most  writers  state  that  he  pushed  Louvel  away,  but  Choiseul,  in  the  evidence 
which  he  gave  on  March  6,  deposed  that  he  caught  him  by  the  coat. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  145 

Mesnard,1  into  whose  arms  he  then  sank,  murmuring  :  "  I  am  a 
dead  m  in  !  " 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  whose  carriage  had  not  yet  started, 
heard  her  husband's  cry  of  anguish,  and  immediately  threw 
herself  upon  the  door,  which  the  footman  had  just  closed,  and 
endeavoured  to  open  it.  Madame  de  Bethisy,  a  strong  young 
woman,  seized  her  round  the  body  with  both  arms,  to  prevent 
her,  fearing  that  there  might  be  more  assassins  about,  or  even 
an  insurrection,  and  that  her  mistress  might  also  be  struck 
down.2  But  the  little  princess,  struggling  and  screaming  :  "  Let 
me  alone  ;  I  order  you  to  let  me  alone  !  "  insisted  on  the  door 
being  opened,  and,  wrenching  herself  free  from  Madame  de 
Bethisy,  sprang  out  of  the  carriage,  without  waiting  for  the  steps 
to  be  let  down,  fell  at  her  husband's  feet,  and  threw  her  arms 
round  him.  The  wounded  man  was  carried  into  the  vestibule 
and  placed  upon  a  bench,  with  his  head  leaning  against  the  wall. 
They  took  off  his  cravat  and  opened  his  shirt  to  look  for  the 
wound,  which  they  found  below  the  right  breast.  The  blood 
spurted  forth,  and  the  gowns  of  the  princess  and  Madame  de 
Bethisy  were  covered  with  it.  "  I  am  dying,"  said  the  duke  in  a 
faint  voice  ;  "  send  for  a  priest ;  come,  my  wife,  let  me  die  in 
your  arms  !  "     Then  he  lost  consciousness. 

Meanwhile,  the  Comtes  de  Choiseul  and  de  Clermont- Lodeve, 
the  sentry,  whose  name  was  Desbies,  and  a  footman  had 
started  in  pursuit  of  the  assassin.  Hearing  the  cries  of  the 
princess,  however,  Choiseul  turned  back  and,  on  learning  of  the 
serious  condition  of  the  duke,  ran  to  a  neighbouring  cafe  to 
inquire  the  address  of  the  nearest  surgeon.3  The  others 
continued  the  chase,  in  which  several  other  persons,  attracted  by 
their  shouts,  also  joined.  Louvel,  however,  was  fleet  of  foot  and 
had  secured  a  considerable  start,  and  he  was  still  some  distance 
ahead  of  his  pursuers,  when,  at  the  corner  of  the  Arcade 
Colbert,  he  was  stopped  by  a  waiter  employed  at  the  Cafe 
Hardy,  named  Paulmier,4  who  seized  him  by  the  collar,  over- 

1  The  dagger  is  described  by  one  of  the  surgeons  who  attended  the  ill-fated 
prince  as  "  formed  of  a  blade  clumsily  made  and  of  a  hilt  more  clumsy  still.  The 
blade,  which  was  six  inches  in  length,  was  flat,  very  fine  at  the  point,  and  sharpened 
on  both  sides.  It  thickened  insensibly  towards  the  hilt." — Deposition  du  docteur 
Dupuytren. 

2  "Journal  and  Correspondence  of  Miss  Berry." 

3  Deposition  du  comte  de  Choiseul. 

4  Imbert  de  Saint-Armand  and  M.  de  Reiset  say  that  Paulmier  was  carrying  a 

L 


146  A   PRINCESS    OF  ADVENTURE 

powered  him,  and  handed  him  over  to  the  sentry  Desbies,  who 
was  the  first  to  come  up. 

The  assassin  was  conducted  to  the  guard-house  of  the  Opera, 
where  Clermont-Lodeve  had  great  difficulty  in  preventing  the 
infuriated  soldiers  from  promptly  running  him  through  with 
their  bayonets.  "  Monster !  "  said  the  count,  addressing  Louvel, 
"  what  could  have  induced  you  to  commit  such  a  crime  ? " 
"  They  are  the  most  cruel  enemies  of  France,"  was  the  reply. 
Clermont  was  for  a  moment  under  the  impression  that  the  man 
was  about  to  make  a  confession,  but  he  soon  understood  that 
the  words  were  an  allusion  to  the  Bourbons.1  Louvel  was  then 
searched,  when  a  second  dagger  and  the  sheath  of  the  one  with 
which  he  had  stabbed  the  prince  were  found  upon  him.  Clermont 
took  charge  of  these  evidences  of  the  crime,  and  hastened  to  the 
side  of  his  injured  master. 

During  this  time,  advantage  had  been  taken  of  the  Due  de 
Berry's  swoon  to  carry  him  out  of  the  vestibule  and  up  the 
private  staircase  into  the  salon  behind  his  box.  It  was  a  little 
low-ceilinged  room,  with  green  hangings.  Two  play-bills  upon 
the  wall  formed  its  only  decoration.2  They  laid  the  prince 
upon  a  sofa,  the  duchess  supported  his  head,  and  Roullet,  the 
librarian  of  the  Opera,  brought  vinegar  and  began  to  bathe  his 
temples.  Three  doctors  were  speedily  in  attendance  :  Lacroix, 
Drogard,  and  Blancheton.  The  last,  who  resided  close  to  the 
Opera-house,  had  been  fetched  by  the  Comte  de  Choiseul. 
They  probed  the  wound  and  bled  the  prince  in  the  right  arm, 
in  order  to  prevent  the  obstruction  of  the  lungs.  The  wounded 
man  recovered  consciousness,  and  murmured  some  indistinct 
words,  which  were  understood  to  be  a  request  for  a  priest. 
His  sight  was  growing  dim  from  failing  strength,  occasioned 
by  the  loss  of  blood,  and  he  seemed  unable  to  distinguish  those 

tray  of  ices  to  the  Opera-house,  that  Louvel  collided  with  him  and  upset  the  tray,  and 
that,  furious  at  this  mishap,  the  waiter  ran  after  him  and  caught  him.  But  Paulmier, 
in  the  evidence  which  he  gave  on  the  morrow  before  the  Commissary  of  Police  Ferte, 
did  not  mention  this  incident,  and  merely  stated  that  "  seeing  a  man  in  a  green 
redingote  running,  pursued  by  gendarmes  with  cries  of  '  Stop  him  !  Stop  him  ! '  he 
seized  him  by  the  collar." 

1  Nettement,  Memoires  sur  Madame,  la  duchesse  de  Berri. 

-  It  was  in  this  little  room  that  the  prince  had  been  accustomed  to  give  audience 
to  any  nymph  of  the  Opera  upon  whom  he  happened  to  have  cast  a  favourable  eye, 
and  Mary  Berry  declares  that,  on  recovering  his  senses,  he  is  said  to  have  exclaimed  : 
"  Ah  I  e'est  un  jugement  du  ciel  que  cette  chambre!"  But  some  of  Miss  Berry's 
French  friends  appear  to  have  had  very  lively  imaginations. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  147 

about  him.  "  Caroline,  are  you  there  ? "  he  exclaimed,  stretch- 
ing out  his  arms  for  his  wife.  "Yes,"  replied  the  princess, 
tenderly  ;  "  I  am  here  and  shall  never  leave  thee."  ! 

Choiseul  bears  witness  to  the  courage  and  presence  of  mind 
exhibited  by  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  on  this  terrible  night. 
"  Every  one,"  he  says,  "  was  extremely  agitated  ;  the  princess 
alone  had  not  lost  her  head,  and  showed  the  most  admirable 
energy,  full  of  sensibility  and  strength  of  mind."  When  the 
surgeons  wished  to  make  a  ligature  and  demanded  a  bandage, 
which  no  one  had  had  the  sense  to  prepare,  she  snatched  off 
her  garters,  and  when  these  were  found  to  be  useless,  owing 
to  their  being  made  of  elastic,  gave  them  her  sash.2 

Clermont  informed  the  duke  of  the  arrest  of  the  assassin. 
"  Is  he  a  foreigner  ?  "  he  asked  ;  and,  on  being  told  that  he  was 
not,  exclaimed  :  "  It  is  very  cruel  to  die  by  the  hand  of  a 
Frenchman ! "  He  inquired  of  Blancheton  if  his  wound  were 
mortal,  adding :  "  I  have  plenty  of  courage ;  I  can  endure 
anything,  and  I  beg  you  to  tell  me  the  truth."  The  surgeon, 
however,  did  not  venture  to  express  an  opinion. 

The  Due  d'Orleans  was  fetched,  and,  on  learning  of  the 
serious  condition  of  the  prince,  sent  round  for  the  duchess  and 
his  sister,  desiring  the  children  to  be  taken  home.  But 
"  apprehensive  of  a  tumult,  which  might  cause  numerous  acci- 
dents, by  accumulating  frightened  crowds  at  the  doors,  it  was 
thought  advisable  not  to  apprise  the  public  of  the  murder  or 
to  interrupt  the  performance "  ; 3  the  ballet  still  went  on,  and 
from  the  room  where  the  prince  lay  in  agony  people  could 
hear  the  music  and  the  applause,  and,  through  a  window  which 
opened  into  the  box,  catch  glimpses  of  the  groups  of  gaily-clad 
danseuses  moving  gracefully  about  the  stage.  Truly,  a  gruesome 
contrast  between  death  and  pleasure  ! i 

1  Madame  de  Gontaut,  Memoir es. 

2  Deposition  du  comte  de  Choiseul. 

3  Lamartine,  Histoire  de  la  Restauration. 

4  "  It  is  to  be  remembered,  in  addition  to  the  horror  of  the  scene,  that,  as  the 
audience  in  the  theatre  knew  nothing  of  the  accident,  the  last  act  of  the  ballet 
was  going  on,  and  that  every  time  the  door  opened  of  the  room  where  the  Due  de 
Berry  lay  (which  must  have  been  almost  every  instant),  the  applause  of  the  pit  and 
the  steps  of  the  dancers  struck  the  ears  of  the  spectators  of  the  horrors  within.  The 
effect  was  so  terrible  that  Mile.  d'Orleans,  less  occupied  than  the  rest  with  any 
services  to  the  poor  victim,  fainted  away,  from  the  mere  incongruous  horror  of  the 
scene,  on  which  she  had  a  sort  of  leisure  to  look." — "  Journal  and  Correspondence  of 
Miss  Berry." 


148  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

The  duke  repeatedly  asked  for  a  priest,  and  presently 
Clermont-Lodeve,  who  had  hurried  off  in  search  of  one,  re- 
turned, bringing  with  him  the  prince's  chief  almoner,  Mgr.  de 
Latil,  Bishop  of  Amyclee.  This  prelate  was  a  great  favourite 
with  Monsieur,  but  the  Due  de  Berry  had  long  felt  for  him  a 
profound  aversion,  which,  according  to  Madame  de  Gontaut, 
he  was  never  able  to  explain.  On  perceiving  him  enter,  he 
was  unable  to  restrain  a  gesture  of  annoyance ;  but,  a  moment 
later,  observed  to  Clermont-Lodeve  :  "  God  is  giving  me  a  trial 
for  which  I  render  Him  thanks ;  I  must  make  painful  avowals 
to  him,  and  receive  from  him  hope  and  consolation."  He  then 
motioned  the  bishop  to  approach,  and  they  conferred  together, 
in  low  tones,  for  some  minutes.  From  that  moment  the  agitation 
of  the  prince  appeared  to  subside.1 

The  outward  flow  of  blood  had  now  ceased,  but  the  doctors 
feared  the  internal  hemorrhage,  and,  in  order  to  diminish  the 
danger  of  this,  it  was  decided  to  bleed  the  prince  in  the  other 
arm.  As  this  failed  to  afford  him  any  relief,  leeches  were 
applied,  and  then  the  duke's  own  surgeon,  Bougon,  who  had 
just  arrived,  proposed  suction.  "The  prince,  moved  by  so 
noble  a  devotion,  wished  to  dissuade  Dr.  Bougon,  saying 
to  him :  '  What  are  you  doing,  my  friend  ?  The  wound  is 
perhaps  poisoned.'  Devotion,  however,  knows  no  danger ; 
and  that  of  Dr.  Bougon  could  not  be  hindered  by  such  a 
fear."  2 

A  little  after  midnight,  Monsieur  arrived.  On  learning  the 
terrible  news,  the  prince  had  rushed,  half-dressed,  from  his 
apartments,  sprung  into  the  carriage  of  the  Prince  Charles 
de  Polignac,  which  was  waiting  for  that  nobleman  near 
the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  and  ordered  the  coachman  to  drive 
him  at  full  speed  to  the  Tuileries.  So  great  was  his  haste 
that  he  shut  the  door  without  waiting  for  the  Due  de 
Maille,  who  accompanied  him,  to  take  his  place  by  his  side, 
and  the  duke  had  to  clamber  up  behind  and  ride  with  the 
footmen. 

Monsieur  was  closely  followed  by  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme.  The  grief  of  the  former,  who  was  deeply  attached 
to  his  brother,  was  heartrending ;    weeping  bitterly,  he  flung 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 

*  DSposition  du  docteur  Dupuytren,  in  Nauroy,  les  Derniers  Bourbons :  le  Due  de 
Berry  et  LouveL 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  149 

himself  on  his  knees  beside  him,  and  "  bathed  the  wound  with 
his  tears." l 

After  the  successive  remedies  of  which  we  have  spoken,  the 
Due  de  Berry  appeared  to  breathe  with  less  difficulty  and,  on 
the  advice  of  the  doctors,  of  whom  there  were  now  six  present, 
advantage  was  taken  of  this  trifling  improvement  to  remove 
him  from  the  little  salon,  where  both  air  and  space  were 
wanting,  into  an  adjoining  room,  which  was  used  by  the 
administration  of  the  Opera.  A  truckle-bed  was  brought  in, 
and  on  this  the  prince  was  laid,  a  chair  being  placed  under 
one  end  of  the  mattress  to  raise  his  head,  as  no  bolster  was 
forthcoming. 

By  this  time  the  news  of  the  tragedy  had  spread,  and  the 
foyer  and  corridors  of  the  Opera-house  were  filled  by  an  excited 
crowd  of  people  connected  with  the  Court,  some  of  whom  had 
come  straight  from  Madame  de  la  Briche's  masquerade  and 
were  still  in  fancy  dress,  their  pale  and  tear-stained  faces  con- 
trasting oddly  with  the  gay  and  occasionally  ludicrous  costumes 
which  they  were  wearing.  Every  one  who  came  out  of  the 
room  where  the  prince  lay  was  besieged  for  news,  and  all  kinds 
of  contradictory  rumours  were  in  circulation. 

Although  the  surgeons  refused  to  abandon  hope,  the  Due 
de  Berry  himself  was  under  no  illusion.  "  My  wound,"  said  he 
to  Blancheton,  "  is  a  mortal  one ;  the  dagger  was  driven  in  up 
to  the  hilt ;  it  has  penetrated  to  the  heart ! " 

A  few  minutes  later,  Dupuytren,  at  this  time  the  most 
celebrated  surgeon  in  Paris,  arrived  with  the  Due  de  Maille, 
who  had  been  sent  to  find  him.  Much  had  been  expected  from 
his  coming,  and,  after  a  consultation  with  his  colleagues,  he 
decided  that  an  incision  should  be  made  in  the  prince's  chest, 
following  the  course  of  the  wound.  The  object  of  this,  he  tells 
us,  was  to  ascertain  if  the  internal  hemorrhage  proceeded  from 
an  intercostal  artery.  In  that  case,  they  would  have  been  able 
to  check  it ;  while,  in  the  contrary  event,  the  operation  would 
at  any  rate  serve  to  draw  off  some  of  the  blood  which  was 
flooding  the  unfortunate  man's  chest  and  threatening  to  suffocate 
him. 

"The  necessity  of  operating,"  continues  Dupuytren,  "was 
communicated  to  the  prince,  who  bravely  consented  to  it.     It 

1  Souvenirs  du   lieiitenant-ge'neral  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  par  so?i  fetit-fils  le  Vicomte  de 
Reiset. 


150  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

was  thought  advisable  to  spare  his  young  wife  the  sight  of  a 
new  anguish,  and  we  begged  her  to  withdraw  for  a  moment. 
Monsieur  and  the  prince  joined  their  entreaties  to  ours  to 
persuade  her  to  do  so.1  All  was  useless,  for  she  was  unwilling 
to  leave  the  duke  at  a  moment  when  he  might  be  in  need  of 
consolation.  '  I  will  be  brave  ! '  cried  she,  throwing  herself  on 
her  knees  by  the  bedside  and  flinging  her  arms  around  the 
Due  de  Berry.  At  that  moment,  her  features,  her  voice,  her 
gestures,  seemed  animated  by  a  divine  fire ;  a  great  woman 
appeared  all  at  once  to  have  taken  the  place  of  the  young  and 
timid  princess.     We  were  compelled  to  yield. 

"  This  operation  could  not  be  carried  out  without  occasioning 
pain,  and  this  pain  drew  from  the  prince  some  cries  and  caused 
him  to  make  some  involuntary  movements.  Then  the  princess, 
restraining  her  husband's  hand,  which  was  about  to  seize  the 
instrument,  cried  in  an  accent  which  it  was  impossible  to  resist : 
'  Charles,  Charles,  it  is  to  relieve  you  ;  if  you  love  me,  you  will 
allow  it  to  be  done ! '  And  the  prince  permitted  the  operation 
to  be  finished."  2 

The  operation  afforded  the  Due  de  Berry  momentary  relief, 
and  his  breathing  became  somewhat  easier ;  but  it  showed  that 
the  cause  of  the  internal  hemorrhage  was  not  a  lesion  in  the 
intercostal  arteries,  but  a  deeper  and  more  dangerous  one.  In 
point  of  fact,  as  the  autopsy  presently  revealed,  the  dagger, 
entering  between  the  fifth  and  sixth  ribs,  and  traversing  the 
upper  part  of  the  right  lung,  had  penetrated  the  pericardium. 

The  despairing  surgeons,  who  had  just  been  reinforced  by 
three  new  arrivals,  bringing  their  number  up  to  ten,  held  a 
further  consultation,  and  decided  that  the  only  thing  to  be  done 
was  to  turn  the  duke  over  on  his  right  side,  so  as  to  promote 
the  outflow  of  blood,  and  "  to  observe  with  attention  the 
symptoms  of  the  malady."  They  then  drew  up  a  bulletin,  in 
which  they  stated  that  the  Due  de  Berry  was  in  the  gravest 
danger,  and  that  they  entertained  scarcely  any  hope  of  saving 
him.     This  they  gave  to  Decazes,  for  transmission  to  the  King.3 

The  Due  de  Berry,  feeling  that  he  was  sinking,  desired  to 
receive  the  Last  Sacraments,  and  called  the  Bishop  of  Amycl^e. 

1  It  was  at  this  moment,  and  not,  as  some  writers  state,  just  before  he  expired, 
that  the  duke  said  to  his  wife  :  ' '  Caroline,  spare  yourself,  for  the  sake  of  the  child 
you  bear." 

2  Deposition  die  docteitr  Dupuytren, 

3  Ibid. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  151 

The  prelate  approached  and,  kneeling  at  the  bedside,  heard  the 
prince's  confession  and  gave  him  absolution,  after  which  Extreme 
Unction  was  administered  by  the  cure  of  Saint-Roch.  The 
prince  then  again  asked  for  the  bishop,  and  begged  him  to  con- 
tinue his  exhortations.  "  Ah  !  "  said  he  to  the  Due  d'Angouleme, 
"  I  am  very  culpable ;  will  Heaven  pardon  me  ? "  "  Yes, 
brother,"  was  the  reply,  "  your  sufferings  and  your  sentiments 
at  this  moment  would  suffice  to  obtain  from  Heaven  the  mercy 
you  implore."  * 

Reassured  by  the  Sacraments  and  the  words  of  his  brother, 
the  dying  man  expressed  a  wish  to  bid  farewell  to  his  little 
daughter,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  sent  orders  to  Madame  de 
Gontaut  to  bring  her  charge  to  the  Opera-house.  2  Madame  de 
Gontaut,  with  the  sleeping  Mademoiselle  in  her  arms,  entered  a 
carriage,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  crowd,  which  had  flocked 
to  the  Tuileries  in  the  belief  that  the  duke  would  be  brought 
thither,  and  which  testified  its  sympathy  by  maintaining  "an 
almost  religious  silence."  In  the  Faubourg  Saint-Honore  her 
carriage  was  stopped  by  a  block  in  the  traffic,  caused  by  the 
crowd  of  carriages  going  and  returning  from  Marechal  Suchet's 
ball,  and  she  trembled  lest  the  delay  might  deprive  the  infant 
princess  of  her  father's  dying  benediction.  However,  way  was 
at  length  made  for  her. 

On  reaching  the  Opera-house,  Madame  de  Gontaut  at  once 
carried  the  little  girl  to  the  sick-room.  "  Madame  came  to  me, 
took  her  child,  and  presented  her  to  Monseigneur.  He  made  an 
effort  to  embrace  her.  '  Poor  child  ! '  said  he  ;  '  may  you  be 
less  unhappy  than  your  father ! ' 3  He  stretched  out  his  arms 
and  sought  to  bless  her.  Madame  gave  her  back  to  me.  She 
was  asleep ;  and  I  placed  her  behind  the  pillow  on  which  Mon- 
seigneur's  head  was  reposing."  4 

1  Dupuytren.  Lamartine,  who  was  doubtless  well  informed,  says  that  the  Due 
d'Angouleme's  answer  was  :  "  Oh  !  my  dear  brother,  what  further  pledge  of  mercy  do 
you  require?     He  has  made  you  a  martyr." 

2  The  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  in  the  Souvenirs  of  his  grandfather,  places  the  arrival 
of  Mademoiselle  a  few  minutes  before  that  of  Dupuytren  ;  but  Dupuytren  himself 
states  that  she  was  not  sent  for  until  after  the  last  Sacraments  had  been  administered 
to  the  Due  de  Berry,  that  is  to  say,  after  all  hope  had  been  abandoned.  As  the 
surgeon  gave  his  evidence  with  the  events  of  that  terrible  night  fresh  in  his  mind,  we 
see  no  reason  to  doubt  his  accuracy. 

3  But  most  historians  say  that  the  duke's  words  were:  "  May  you  be  less  unhappy 
than  all  those  of  my  family  !  " 

4  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


152  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

The  Due  de  Berry  then  turned  to  the  duchess  and  said  : 
"  Wife,  I  ought  to  confess  to  you  that  I  had  two  children  before 
I  knew  you.  Permit  me  to  see  them."  "  Let  them  be  brought," 
replied  the  princess,  without  a  moment's  hesitation.  "  Why  did 
you  not  tell  me  of  this  before,  Charles  ?  I  would  have  adopted 
them."  *  And  she  called  the  Due  de  Coigny  and  requested  him 
to  fetch  the  children. 

Coigny  at  once  drove  to  the  Rue  Neuve-des-Mathurins, 
where  Amy  Brown  and  her  children  were  now  residing.  At 
that  hour  of  the  night,  or  rather  morning,  all  the  household 
were  asleep,  and  the  duke  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  procur- 
ing admission.  He  told  the  servant  not  to  disturb  her  mistress, 
as  he  only  wanted  the  two  children  and  their  maid,  who  must 
instantly  accompany  him  ;  but  he  was  informed  that  the  elder 
girl  slept  with  her  mother,  so  that  concealment  was  impossible ; 
and  he  had  to  break  the  terrible  news  as  gently  as  he  could  to 
Amy  Brown. 

"  On  M.  de  Coigny,"  writes  Mary  Berry,  "  being  obliged  to 
tell  her  that  she  must  allow  her  children  to  go  without  her,  that 
she  could  not  be  admitted,  she  made  no  reply,  but  gently  pressed 
his  arm  in  silence,  put  on  a  large  bonnet  with  a  deep  veil,  and 
placed  herself  in  the  coach  with  the  children,  their  maid,  and  M. 
de  Coigny.  On  his  again  repeating  that  she  could  not  be  allowed 
to  go  in,  she  again,  without  uttering  a  word,  squeezed  his  arm,  as 
if  to  assure  him  of  the  propriety  of  her  conduct,  and  actually 
remained  in  the  carriage  at  the  door  of  the  Opera-house,  while 
the  children,  accompanied  by  their  maid,  were  carried  up  to 
their  dying  father."  2 

Nearly  three-quarters  of  an  hour  elapsed  before  Coigny 
returned  with  the  little  girls,  during  which  time  the  Due  de 
Berry  more  than  once  expressed  his  fear  that  they  would  arrive 
too  late.  On  being  brought  into  the  room,  the  children,  who 
were  both  dressed  alike  in  little  redingotes  of  yellow  cashmere 
and    hats  with  white  ribbons,  hastened  to   their  father,  knelt 

1  Souvenirs  du  lieutena?it-general  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  par  son  petit-fils  le  Vicomte  de 
Reiset.  Dupuytren  gives  a  different  version  of  this  conversation,  from  which  it  would 
appear  that  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  already  aware  of  the  children's  existence  : 
"  'My  dear  Caroline,  I  have  a  very  earnest  desire.  Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to 
acquiesce  ? '  '  Speak,  what  is  it  you  wish  ? '  'I  should  like  to  see  my  little 
Charlotte  and  Louise.  Do  you  consent  ? '  '  Yes,  to  everything  that  will  please  you. 
I  will  go  and  give  orders  for  them  to  be  fetched.'  " 

2  "Journal  and  Correspondence  of  Miss  Berry." 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  153 

down  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  kissed  the  hand  which  he 
extended  to  them.  The  prince  Ispoke  a  few  words  to  them,  in 
English,  in  a  low  tone,  gave  them  his  blessing,  and  embraced 
them,  saying  to  the  younger  in  French.  "  Poor  Louise !  Thou 
wilt  never  see  thy  unhappy  father  again  !  "  Then,  calling  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  who,  during  this  touching  interview,  had 
moved  a  few  steps  away,  he  pointed  to  the  kneeling  children, 
and,  raising  his  voice,  said  :  "  Wife,  here  are  two  orphans  ;  I  beg 
you  to  take  care  of  them."  The  princess  replied  by  holding  out 
her  arms  to  the  children,  who  rose  and  went  to  her.  She  kissed 
them  affectionately  and  said  :  "  Yes,  my  dear  little  ones  ;  I  will 
take  care  of  you  ;  I  will  behave  as  a  mother  towards  you  ;  you 
shall  never  have  a  better  one  than  I."  Then,  taking  them  by 
the  hand,  she  led  them  to  the  little  Mademoiselle,  who  was  in  her 
nurse's  arms.  "  Embrace  your  sister,"  said  she,  simply.  And, 
turning  towards  her  husband,  she  exclaimed  :  "  You  see,  Charles  ; 
I  have  now  three  children  ! "  l 

The  prince,  who,  even  in  the  midst  of  his  cruel  sufferings, 
showed  thought  for  others,  had  refrained  from  wounding  the 
feelings  of  his  wife  by  speaking  of  the  son,  whom  he  had  by 
Virginie  Oreille,  since  he  was  the  fruit  of  a  post-marital  attach- 
ment ;  but  he  now  summoned  his  brother  to  his  side,  and 
recommended  the  boy  to  his  protection.  The  Due  d'Angouleme 
readily  gave  the  required  promise,  and,  as  we  have  mentioned 
elsewhere,  both  he  and  the  duchess  subsequently  took  a  great 
interest  in  Charles  de  Carriere. 

The  poor  prince  had,  however,  one  last  anxiety  ;  it  was  to 
obtain  the  King's  clemency  for  Louvel.  "  A  score  of  times  in 
the  course  of  that  fatal  night,"  says  Dupuytren,  "  he  exclaimed  : 
4  Have  I  not  injured  this  man  ?  Had  he  not  some  personal 
wrong  to  avenge  upon  me  ? '  In  vain  Monsiettr  repeated  to  him, 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  :  '  No,  my  son,  you  have  never  seen,  you 
have  never  injured,  this  man  ;  he  had  no  personal  animosity 
against  you.'  The  prince  reverted  incessantly  to  this  impor- 
tunate idea,  to  which  he  joined  another  :  that  of  obtaining  mercy 
for  the  assassin."  His  eagerness  for  the  arrival  of  the  King, 
which  increased  as  he  felt  his  end  drawing  nearer,  was  pitiable. 
"  Ah  !  the  King  will  not  come  !  "  he  cried.  "  I  shall  be  unable 
to  demand  of  him  the  life  of  the  man!"     And  then,  addressing, 

1  Deposition  du  docteur  Dupuytren ;   Souvenirs  du  lieutenant-general  zicomte  de 
Reiset. 


154  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

in  turn,  Monsieur  and  the  Due  d'Angouleme,  he  cried  :  "Promise 
me,  father,  to  implore  the  King  to  spare  the  man's  life  !  " 

Louis  XVI 1 1.,  who  usually  retired  to  rest  at  an  early  hour, 
was  in  bed  and  asleep  when  Decazes  came  to  the  Tuileries  to 
inform  him  of  the  crime  of  which  his  nephew  had  just  been  the 
victim.  Acting  in  accordance  with  the  instructions  of  the 
Comte  d'Artois,  who  wished  to  spare  his  brother  as  much  as 
possible,  and  feared  that  Louvel's  crime  was  only  part  of  a 
formidable  conspiracy,  and  that  an  attempt  might  be  made 
upon  the  King  himself,  the  Minister  concealed  from  him  the 
gravity  of  the  prince's  condition ;  and,  though  his  Majesty 
wished  to  start  at  once  for  the  Opera,  persuaded  him  to  defer 
his  departure,  saying  that  Monsieur  would  send  him  warning  if 
the  situation  became  worse.  However,  the  first  bulletin,  the 
contents  of  which  Decazes  had  not  dared  to  communicate  to 
his  master,  was  followed  by  others  so  alarming  that  at  length  it 
was  no  longer  possible  to  dissimulate  the  danger  ;  and,  the 
precaution  having  been  taken  to  line  the  road  from  the  Tuileries 
with  troops,  the  King  entered  his  carriage  and  set  off  for  the 
Opera. 

It  was  nearly  five  o'clock,  and  the  day  was  beginning  to 
break,  when  the  Due  de  Berry  heard  the  clattering  of  the  horses 
of  the  King's  escort  in  the  Rue  Rameau.  "  Here  is  the  King 
at  last !  "  he  cried.  "  Oh !  that  he  may  come  quickly !  .  .  .  I 
am  dying  !  "  Some  minutes,  however,  passed  before  his  Majesty 
appeared,  for  the  infirm  old  monarch  had  to  be  got  out  of  his 
carriage  and  carried  up  the  stairs  in  an  armchair ;  and,  as  the 
stairs  were  steep  and  narrow,  his  progress  was  necessarily  slow. 

Louis  XVIII.  had  seen  many  strange  sights  in  his  adven- 
turous life,  but  none  more  singular  than  that  upon  which  his 
eyes  rested  when  the  stairs  had  at  length  been  surmounted  and 
he  entered  the  room  in  which  his  dying  nephew  lay.  There,  in 
that  shabby  little  apartment,  with  its  walls  lined  with  gaudy 
playbills  and  portraits  and  busts  of  operatic  celebrities,  were 
congregated  the  greatest  personages  in  France :  princes  and 
princesses,  ministers,  marshals,  and  nobles.  Some  were  in  full 
evening  toilette,  others  in  carnival  attire,  and  others,  like 
Monsieur,  only  half-dressed.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  wearing  a 
white  peignoir,  which  some  one  had  brought  her  to  replace  her 
evening-gown,  but  which  had  also  become  stained  with  blood, 
was  kneeling  by  a  truckle-bed ;    near  her  was  the    Duchesse 


A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE  155 

d'Orleans,  in  a  magnificent  toilette  sparkling  with  diamonds, 
and  with  white  plumes  on  her  head  ;  and  not  far  off  a  figurante 
of  the  Opera,  in  rose  tights  and  gauze  skirt,  who  had  been 
called  in  to  help.1 

And  there,  gasping  out  his  life  on  the  bed  by  which  the 
princess  knelt,  lay  the  hope  of  his  race — the  nephew  whom  the 
King  had  last  seen  at  the  Tuileries,  a  few  short  hours  before,  in 
all  the  vigour  of  health  and  manhood  !  The  pale  light  of  the 
wintry  dawn  creeping  into  the  room  added  to  the  weirdness  of 
the  scene. 

The  moment  the  dying  prince  caught  sight  of  the  King,  he 
cried  in  a  voice  of  entreaty :  "  Sire,  grdce,  grdce  pour  la  vie 
de  Phomme?  The  King  stooped  down  and  kissed  him,  and 
replied  :  "  My  nephew,  you  are  not  so  ill  as  you  think ;  we  shall 
have  time  to  consider  this  request  when  you  are  cured." 2  The 
Due  de  Berry  repeated  his  demand,  but  Louis  XVIII.  again 
returned  an  evasive  answer.  "  Ah  !  Sire,  you  do  not  say  yes," 
cried  the  prince,  and,  according  to  General  de  Reiset,  the  Due 
d'Angouleme  joined  his  entreaties  to  those  of  his  brother.  "Sire," 
said  he,  "  be  pleased  to  accede  to  his  request ;  for  more  than 
two  hours  this  desire  has  been  tormenting  him."  "All  this 
requires  reflection,"  answered  the  King,  and,  turning  to  the 
Due  de  Berry,  said  :  "  Speak  of  yourself,  my  son  ;  that  would  be 
better." 3 

The  prince  was  silent  for  some  minutes.  Then  he  exclaimed  : 
"  The  favour  of  the  man's  life  would,  however,  have  sweetened 
the  bitterness  of  my  last  moments  "  ;  and,  some  time  afterwards, 
still  pursuing  the  same  train  of  thought,  he  murmured  in  a 
voice  broken  by  the  agony  he  was  suffering:  "Ah!  ...  at 
least  if  ...  I  was  carrying  away  the  thought  .  .  .  that  a  man's 
blood  .  .  .  would  not  be  shed  on  my  account  .  .  .  after  my 
death  .  .   ."  4 

Meanwhile,  Louis  XVIII.,  who  had  seated  himself  at  the 
foot  of  the  bed,  had  perceived  the  two  little  daughters  of  Amy 

1  Some  writers  assert  that  this  figurante  was  none  other  than  Virginie  Oreille. 

2  Deposition  du  docteur  Dupuytren.  Dupuytren  lays  emphasis  on  the  fact  that 
the  Due  de  Berry  asked  for  the  life  of  "  the  man  "  and  not  for  his  pardon,  as  so  many 
writers  state.  The  King  might  have  commuted  the  capital  sentence,  but  it  would,  of 
course,  have  been  impossible  for  him  to  accord  him  a  free  pardon. 

'  Souvenirs  du   lieutenant-general  vicomte  de  Reiset.     Dupuytren   says   nothing 
about  the  intervention  of  the  Due  d'Angouleme. 
4  Deposition  du  docteur  Dupuytren. 


156  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Brown.  He  inquired  who  they  were,  and  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  said  a  few  words  to  him  in  an  undertone.  Then  she 
presented  them  to  him,  adding  :  "  I  have  promised  to  adopt 
these  children,  and  I  ask  the  King,  in  the  name  of  him  whom 
we  love,  to  deign  to  bestow  his  bounties  on  them."  His  Majesty 
reflected  for  a  moment,  then,  recollecting  what  had  been  done 
in  previous  reigns,  he  said :  "  I  will  give  the  names  of  Comtesse 
de  Vierzon  to  the  one,  and  of  Comtesse  d'Issoudun  to  the 
other." 1 

The  doctors  continued  their  attentions  to  the  prince, 
less  from  any  hope  of  saving  him  than  of  alleviating  his  suffer- 
ings, for  it  was  obvious  that  he  was  sinking  fast.  Turning  to 
Dupuytren,  Louis  XVIII.  inquired,  in  Latin,  if  he  still  retained 
any  hope  ("  Superstes  ne  spes  aliqua  salutis  ? "),  and,  on 
receiving  the  answer  he  feared,  raised  his  eyes  to  Heaven  and 
exclaimed  :  "  God's  will  be  done  !  "  2 

In  a  momentary  respite  from  pain,  the  Due  de  Berry  called 
to  his  tutor  in  arms  and  faithful  companion  in  exile,  the  vener- 
able Comte  de  Nantouillet,  to  come  and  embrace  him  for  the 
last  time,  and  thanked  Dupuytren  for  his  attentions.  He  also 
spoke  affectionately  to  several  of  his  personal  friends,  and  recom- 
mended his  servants  to  the  protection  of  Mo?isieur  and  the  Due 
d'Angouleme. 

The  last  moment  was  now  approaching  ;  and  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  whose  fortitude  had  at  last  given  way,  was  sobbing 
hysterically.  At  the  earnest  entreaty  of  her  husband,  she  con- 
sented to  retire  with  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio  and  Madame  de 
Bethisy  into  an  adjoining  room ;  but,  hearing  the  prince  cry 
out,  she  broke  from  their  detaining  hands,  rushed  back,  and 
threw  herself  at  the  foot  of  the  bed,  making  the  room  resound 
with  the  name  of  "  Charles  !  Charles  !  Oh  !  my  Charles  !  "  3 
The  prince,  murmuring  some  indistinct  words,  which  most 
writers  allege  were  a  last  appeal  for  the  life  of  Louvel,  though 
Dupuytren  declares  that  he  caught  those  of  "France"  and 
" Patrie"  sank  into  unconsciousness  ;  and  soon,  in  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  the  surgeons,  his  breathing  was  no  longer  perceptible. 
Dupuytren  asked  for  a  mirror,  and  the  King  passed  him  his 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Mhnoires. 

2  According  to  General  de  Reiset,  Dupuytren  was  not  sufficiently  well  acquainted 
with  Latin  to  understand  his  Majesty's  question,  and  one  of  his  colleagues  had  to 
answer  for  him. 

3  Deposition  du  docteur  Dupuytren. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  157 

snuff-box,  which  had  a  glass  lid.     The  surgeon  held  it  to  the 
lips  and  nostrils  of  the  prince.     No  vapour  tarnished  it. 

The  Due  de  Berry  was  dead  ! * 

Louis  XVI 1 1.,  who  was  anxiously  watching  Dupuytren, 
asked  him :  "  Is  it  all  over  ?  "  The  surgeon  replied  in  the 
affirmative,  and  inquired  if  his  Majesty  desired  to  show  the 
prince  the  "  last  respects."  "  The  last  attentions,"  corrected 
the  King,  who,  though  the  tears  were  coursing  down  his  cheeks, 
did  not,  even  at  such  a  moment  as  this,  forget  the  exigencies  of 
etiquette.2  "Yes;  assist  me."  And,  taking  Dupuytren's  arm, 
he  approached  the  bed.  "  A  religious  curiosity  suspended  our 
tears,"  writes  the  surgeon  ;  "  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  the 
King  ;  we  waited  anxiously.  Then,  extending  a  hand  trembling 
with  grief  over  the  face  of  the  royal  victim,  the  King  closed  his 
eyelids,  and,  in  a  voice  broken  by  sobs,  murmured  :  '  Sleep  in 
peace,  my  child!'  Then  he  kissed  him  on  the  forehead,  and, 
taking  the  prince's  hand,  raised  it  to  his  lips.  At  this  patriarchal 
scene,  the  expressions  of  grief,  momentarily  restrained,  burst 
forth  violently  on  all  sides."  3 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  in  the  adjoining  room,  heard  the 
sounds  which  announced  that  the  prince  was  no  more,  and 
breaking  away  from  her  ladies,  who  vainly  endeavoured  to 
restrain  her,  rushed  frantically  towards  the  door.  Monsieur 
stood  there  to  keep  her  out ;  but  she  gave  him  so  violent  a 
push  that  they  both  fell  to  the  ground.4  Springing  up,  the 
princess  ran  to  the  bed,  threw  herself  upon  the  inanimate  body 
of  her  husband,  and  bathed  his  face  with  her  tears.  The  King 
sought  to  calm  her,  but  she,  rising  from  the  bed  and  casting 
herself  at  his  feet,  cried  :  "  Sire,  I  have  one  favour  to  ask  your 
Majesty.  You  will  not  refuse  me.  It  is  permission  to  return 
to  Sicily  with  my  child.  I  cannot  live  here  after  my  husband's 
death ! "  "  You  are  distracted  by  grief,  my  child,"  replied  the 
King,  kindly,  and,  as  the  princess  sank  fainting  to  the  floor,  he 
made  a  sign  to  the  Vicomte  Sosthene  de  la  Rochefoucauld, 
who  raised  her  up  and  carried  her  from  the  room  and  down  the 
stairs,  followed  by  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  and  Madame 
de  Gontaut,  who  held  the  little  Mademoiselle  in  her  arms.     The 

1  Deposition  du  docteur  Dupuytren. 

2  Baron  de  Barante,  Souvenirs. 

3  Deposition  du  docteur  Dupuytren. 

4  Charles  de  Remusat  to  Madame  de  Remusal,  February,  1S20. 


158  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

carriages  were  summoned,  and  La  Rochefoucauld  placed  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  still  unconscious,  in  hers.  Madame  de 
Gontaut  has  left  us  a  touching  account  of  the  return  to  the 
Elysee : 

"  I  sat  down  beside  her  ;  her  head  fell  on  my  shoulder.  The 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme  was  on  the  front-seat  and  supported  us 
both.  As  we  entered  the  courtyard  of  the  Elysee,  Madame  re- 
covered consciousness,  and  groped  about  with  her  icy  hands  for 
him  who  had  just  been  taken  from  her.  The  discovery  that 
she  was  parted  from  him  gave  her  a  moment  of  terrible  despair. 
We  endeavoured  to  take  her  to  her  own  apartment,  but  she 
refused  and  went  straight  to  that  of  Monseigneur.  This  was 
another  agony  for  her.  Everything  was  in  readiness  to  receive 
him  who  was  no  more  ;  his  armchair  drawn  up,  his  dressing- 
gown  spread  out — all  except  himself,  except  life  !  She  clung  to 
me  convulsively,  and  pressed  her  daughter  to  her  heart ;  the 
poor  little  thing  was  frightened  and  cried.  I  entrusted  her  to 
Madame  Lemoine,  Madame  having  told  me  to  remain  with  her. 
She  wept  passionately  over  everything  that  belonged  to  him  ; 
and,  as  she  no  longer  restrained  the  violence  of  her  grief,  her 
cries  were  heartrending  !  She  desired  to  remain  in  this  room, 
kneeling  beside  the  bed,  to  which  she  clung  with  clenched  hands. 
She,  so  calm,  so  courageous,  during  the  dreadful  night,  now 
gave  way  to  the  very  excess  of  despair.  She  had  expressed  a  wish 
to  be  left  alone  with  me,  and  I  persuaded  her  gently  to  undress, 
for  her  clothes  were  still  wet  with  blood.  They  brought  me  her 
night-clothes,  and  I  was  able  to  prevail  upon  her  to  take  some 
repose.  She  told  me  to  close  the  doors,  and  I  promised  not  to 
leave  her.  It  was  then,  I  think,  six  o'clock.  I  took  care  that 
she  should  have  perfect  quiet,  and  I  seated  myself  on  the  steps 
of  the  bed,  while  she  slept  for  several  hours,  the  sleep  of  weari- 
ness and  youth." 

When  the  poor  princess  awoke,  grief  resumed  its  sway,  and 
Madame  de  Gontaut  in  vain  endeavoured  to  soothe  her.  While 
she  was  sleeping,  her  women  had  hurriedly  prepared  her  widow's 
weeds,  and  the  dress  had  been  laid  out.  No  one  ventured  to 
propose  that  she  should  put  this  lugubrious  costume  on,  but, 
when  she  saw  it,  she  immediately  assumed  it.  At  Madame  de 
Gontaut's  suggestion,  she  then  went  into  a  little  oratory  to  hear 
the  Mass  which  her  almoner  was  saying  for  the  repose  of  her 
husband's  soul,  and  it  was  on  this  occasion,  the  writer  tells  us, 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  159 

that  a  lady  who  had  some  talent  for  drawing  made  a  portrait  of 
the  princess  which  she  gave  to  her. 

After  several  hours,  "  passed  partly  in  prayer  and  always  in 
tears  and  sobs,"  Madame  de  Gontaut  spoke  to  her  mistress  of 
her  unborn  child,  for  whose  sake  she  besought  her  to  make  an 
effort  to  master  her  grief.  The  princess  promised  to  do  so,  and 
was  at  length  persuaded  to  take  a  little  nourishment. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  Monsieur  came  to  the  Elysee,  so 
changed  that  he  was  scarcely  recognisable.  His  face  was  deadly 
pale,  his  eyes  swollen  by  weeping,  and  his  hair,  in  a  single  night, 
had  become  quite  white.  He  endeavoured  to  sustain  his  daughter- 
in-law's  courage,  but,  at  the  sight  of  him,  her  tears  broke 
forth  afresh,  and,  in  her  despair,  she  declared  that  her  only 
wish  was  to  leave  France  and  return  to  Sicily,  so  as  to  put  as 
great  a  distance  as  possible  between  herself  and  the  place  where 
the  only  one  who  could  make  her  happy  had  been  done  to  death. 
Monsieur  reasoned  with  her,  and  eventually  succeeded  in  making 
her  understand  the  impossibility  of  executing  such  a  project. 
He  then  told  her  that  the  King,  aware  of  how  painful  it  would 
be  for  her  to  remain  at  the  Elysee,  had  placed  at  her  disposal 
whichever  of  the  royal  residences  she  might  prefer.  She  chose 
Saint-Cloud  and  asked  that  she  might  be  permitted  to  go 
thither  at  once  with  her  little  daughter  ;  and  that  very  evening 
she  quitted  the  home  where  she  had  once  been  so  happy,  and  to 
which  she  was  never  to  return,  and  set  out  for  Saint-Cloud, 
where  she  installed  herself  in  the  apartments  of  the  Due  and 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme. 


CHAPTER    XII 

The  body  of  the  Due  de  Berry  transported  to  the  Louvre — Consternation  in  Paris 
— Decazes  tenders  his  resignation  to  the  King,  who  refuses  to  accept  it — An 
unfortunate  incident— Meeting  of  the  Chambers — Clausel  de  Coussergues  demands 
the  impeachment  of  Decazes,  "as  an  accomplice  of  the  assassination  of  the  Due  de 
Berry " — Furious  outcry  against  the  Minister — The  resistance  of  Louis  XVIII. 
eventually  overcome  by  the  representation  of  Monsieur  and  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme 
— Fall  of  Decazes — Grief  of  the  King — Lying-in-state  of  the  Due  de  Berry — His 
obsequies  at  Saint-Denis — Monuments  erected  to  his  memory. 

AN  hour  after  the  ill-fated  Due  de  Berry  had  expired,  his 
body,  covered  by  a  flag,  was  transported  to  the 
Louvre,  in  the  same  carriage  which  had  brought  him 
to  the  Opera  the  evening  before,  full  of  life  and  health.  No  one 
had  thought  of  warning  the  governor,  the  Marquis  d'Autichamp, 
until  the  carriage  had  actually  entered  the  courtyard  of  the 
chateau,  and  the  poor  man,  who  was  even  unaware  of  the  crime, 
was  so  overcome  at  the  sight  that  for  some  time  he  was 
incapable  of  giving  orders.  The  body  was  accordingly  taken 
into  his  own  apartments  and  laid  upon  a  table,  where  it  remained 
while  the  chapelle  ardente  was  being  prepared,  the  clergy  of 
Saint-Germain  l'Auxerrois  praying  beside  it. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  news  of  the  prince's  death  had  spread 
through  Paris,  and  the  utmost  consternation  prevailed.  All 
sorts  of  absurd  rumours  were  in  circulation.  Some  declared  that 
the  assassin  was  a  man  whose  wife  the  Due  de  Berry  had  seduced  ; 
others,  that  he  was  a  soldier  to  whom  Napoleon  had  given  the 
Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour  during  the  Hundred  Days,  and 
from  whose  breast  the  prince  had  torn  it,  in  a  moment  of  anger. 
When,  however,  it  became  known  that  the  motive  of  the  crime 
was  a  political  one,  grief  was  superseded  by  indignation,  and  the 
excited  crowds  which  thronged  the  streets  raised  shouts  of 
vengeance  against  the  extreme  Liberals,  who  had  been  so 
industrious  of  late  in  fomenting  the  worst  passions,  and  against 
the  Minister  who  passed  for  their  protector. 

1 60 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  161 

Decazes,  foreseeing  the  storm  which  was  about  to  burst  upon 
his  head,  and  that  no  effort  would  be  spared  by  the  ultra- 
Royalists  to  induce  the  King  to  dismiss  the  object  of  their 
hatred,  wished  to  spare  his  sorrowing  master  this  new  trial,  and, 
on  Louis  XVIII.'s  return  to  the  Tuileries,  he,  with  rare  self- 
denial,  at  once  offered  his  resignation.  The  King,  however, 
refused  to  hear  of  it.  "  Policy  and  friendship,"  he  said,  "  alike 
forbid  me  to  surrender  France  to  those  who  would  speedily 
ruin  her.  I  order  you  to  remain  in  the  Ministry.  They  shall 
not  separate  us." 

At  eight  o'clock  that  morning,  a  council  was  held,  at  which 
it  was  decided  that  measures  temporarily  suspending  personal 
liberty,  subjecting  the  Press  to  rigorous  supervision,  and  con- 
stituting the  Chamber  of  Peers  a  State  tribunal  for  the  trial  of 
the  assassin  and  his  accomplices,  should  be  submitted  that 
same  day  to  the  Chambers.  By  these  concessions  to  the  party 
of  reaction  the  King  fondly  hoped  that  the  fury  of  the  "  Ultras  " 
might  be  appeased.  The  distribution  of  a  handful  of  crumbs 
among  a  pack  of  ravening  wolves  would  have  been  equally 
effective. 

Unhappily  for  Decazes,  an  incident  which  had  occurred 
shortly  after  the  arrest  of  Louvel  had  provided  his  enemies 
with  a  weapon  which  they  were  not  slow  to  turn  to  account. 

Immediately  on  learning  of  the  crime,  Decazes  had  hastened 
to  the  Opera,  and,  with  the  Prefect  of  Police  and  two  of  his 
colleagues  in  the  Ministry,  Pasquier  and  Simeon,  had  proceeded 
to  interrogate  the  assassin.  Before,  however,  the  official 
examination  began,  the  Minister  had  demanded  of  Louvel,  in 
an  undertone,  whether  the  dagger  had  been  poisoned,  in  the 
belief  that,  if  such  were  the  case,  the  assassin  might  be  induced 
to  reveal  it,  and  thus  save  the  life  of  his  victim.  These  few 
whispered  words  were  interpreted  by  the  malignity  of  some  of 
those  present  into  a  recommendation  of  silence  from  Decazes 
to  an  accomplice,  and,  though  the  Due  de  Fitz- James,  who  had 
overheard  the  conversation,  protested  against  this  monstrous 
calumny,  it  was  soon  circulating  all  over  Paris.  "  Never, 
perhaps,"  observes  Lamartine,  "  did  political  enmity  observe 
less  decency,  in  the  regret  for  so  sudden  and  calamitous  a 
tragedy,  or  make  more  haste  to  turn  to  the  profit  of  its  party 
the  blood  which  was,  as  it  were,  still  flowing." 

At  one  o'clock  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  met.     The  most 

M  N 


1 62  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

intense  excitement  prevailed,  and  all  the  approaches  to  the 
Palais-Bourbon  were  blocked  by  seething  crowds.  The 
attendance  was  a  very  large  one,  but  Decazes  and  the  other 
Ministers  were  absent,  as  the  examination  of  the  assassin  was 
then  going  on.  The  sitting  began,  as  usual,  with  the  reading 
by  one  of  the  clerks  of  the  House  of  the  report  of  the  last 
debate,  to  which,  however,  no  one  paid  the  smallest  attention. 
Scarcely  had  he  finished,  than  Clausel  de  Coussergues,  one 
of  the  most  violent  of  the  "  Ultras,"  ascended  the  tribune. 
"  Messieurs,"  cried  he,  "  there  is  no  law  in  existence  to  regulate 
the  impeachment  of  Ministers,  but  the  nature  of  such  a  pro- 
ceeding demands  that  it  should  be  made  in  a  public  sitting,  and 
in  the  face  of  France.  I  propose  to  the  Chamber,  therefore,  an 
act  of  accusation  against  M.  Decazes,  Minister  of  the  Interior, 
as  an  accomplice  of  the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry ! " 
His  next  sentence  was  drowned  by  the  indignant  shouts  of  the 
Centre  and  Left,  and,  perceiving  that  it  was  useless  to  proceed, 
he  quitted  the  tribune,  after  demanding  that  he  should  be 
allowed  to  proceed  with  his  accusation.  The  President  of  the 
Chamber  at  once  declared  his  notice  informal  and  inadmissible, 
and  that  he  had  only  permitted  him  to  address  the  House 
under  the  impression  that  he  had  had  something  to  say  relative 
to  the  report  which  had  just  been  read.  He  then  read  to  the 
Chamber  the  letter  which  the  King  had  addressed  to  him  in 
his  official  capacity,  announcing  the  assassination  and  death  of 
the  Due  de  Berry  ;  and  after  the  leaders  of  the  different  parties 
had  expressed  their  horror  at  the  crime,  and  their  sympathy 
with  the  Royal  Family,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draw  up 
an  address  of  condolence  to  the  King,  and  the  House  adjourned. 

It  was  speedily  apparent  that  the  terrible  accusation  launched 
by  Clausel  de  Coussergues  from  the  tribune  was  echoed  by  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  nation.  The  Court,  the  Chambers,  the 
salons,  the  streets,  the  journals,  resounded  with  the  most  furious 
invectives  against  the  Minister  whom  the  whole  ultra-Royalist 
party  unanimously  regarded  as  the  moral,  if  not  the  actual, 
accomplice  of  the  assassination. 

The  Drapeau  blanc,  a  journal  noted  for  the  extravagance  of 
its  reactionary  views,  declared  that  the  real  criminal  was  the  man 
who  had  nourished,  caressed,  and  unchained  the  Revolutionary 
tiger.  "  Yes,  M.  Decazes,"  the  article  continued,  "  it  is  you  who 
have  slain  the  Due  de  Berry  !     Weep  tears  of  blood,  obtain  the 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  163 

pardon  of  Heaven,  but  the  country  will  never  forgive  you." 
The  other  organs  of  the  same  party,  the  Quotidienne,  the  Con- 
servateur,  the  Journal  des  Debats,  and  the  Gazette  de  France, 
were  scarcely  less  violent  in  their  denunciations. 

In  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  Clausel  de  Coussergues  re- 
newed his  accusation,  though  in  a  modified  form,  and  when 
stigmatised  as  a  calumniator  by  Decazes's  father-in-law,  the 
Marquis  de  Sainte-Aulaire,  replied,  "France  will  judge."  A 
motion  that,  in  the  official  report  of  the  previous  day's  proceed- 
ings, his  motion  should  be  qualified  as  having  been  received 
with  indignation  by  the  whole  House  was  negatived  without  a 
division. 

The  salons  were  almost  hysterical  in  their  rage,  and  high-born 
ladies  were  heard  regretting  that  torture  had  been  abolished,  as, 
otherwise,  the  assassin,  who  persisted  in  denying  that  he  had 
any  accomplices,  might  have  been  forced  to  disclose  them.  In 
the  streets,  people  suspected  of  holding  advanced  opinions  were 
insulted  and  ill-treated  ;  and  the  general  ferment  communicated 
itself  to  the  Army,  where  several  duels  were  reported  to  have 
been  forced  upon  officers  who  ventured  to  defend  the  Minister. 

The  more  fiercely  his  favourite  was  assailed,  the  more  de- 
termined was  Louis  XVIII.  to  defend  him.  Quite  apart  from 
his  personal  affection  for  Decazes,  the  King  had  identified 
himself  so  closely  with  the  policy  pursued  by  his  Minister  that 
he  felt  that  to  dismiss  him  would  be  tantamount  to  his  own 
abdication.  "  The  wolves,"  said  he,  sadly,  "  ask  nothing  of  the 
shepherd  but  the  sacrifice  of  the  dog." 

Here,  however  he  had  to  reckon  not  only  with  public 
opinion,  but  with  the  members  of  his  own  family.  On  the 
evening  following  the  tragedy,  Monsieur,  the  Due  d'Angouleme, 
and  Madame  dined  with  the  King  without  a  single  word  being 
exchanged  ;  on  the  15th,  it  was  the  same  ;  on  the  16th,  all  three 
absented  themselves  from  the  royal  table.  On  the  evening  of 
the  18th,  Decazes,  who  had  continued  to  present  himself  at  the 
Tuileries,  notwithstanding  that  he  had  received  several  warnings 
that  the  Gardes  du  corps  were  so  exasperated  against  him  that 
he  went  in  danger  of  his  life,  came  to  wait  upon  the  King.  He 
found  him  in  a  terrible  state  of  agitation,  his  face  purple,  his 
eyes  bloodshot.  Anxiously  he  inquired  the  reason.  His 
Majesty,  when  he  had  succeeded  in  composing  himself  a  little, 
replied  that  Monsieur  and  the    Due  d'Angouleme   had  dined 


164  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

with  him  again  that  evening;  that,  as  soon  as  the  attendants 
had  retired,  his  brother  and  Madame  had  thrown  themselves  on 
their  knees  before  him  and  entreated  him  to  dismiss  Decazes  ; 
that,  when  he  had  defended  his  Minister,  Monsieur  had  invited 
him  to  choose  between  Decazes  and  himself,  and  announced  his 
intention  of  leaving  the  Tuileries,  "  if  M.  Decazes,  publicly 
accused  by  M.  Clausel  de  Coussergues  of  complicity  in  the 
death  of  his  son,  appeared  there  again  as  Minister."  l 

It  was  clearly  impossible  for  the  King  to  resist  any  longer, 
as  Decazes  himself  did  not  hesitate  to  point  out ;  and  three  days 
later  (February  21)  an  ordinance  appeared  in  the  Moniteur, 
announcing  that  the  Due  de  Richelieu  had  replaced  the  Comte 
Decazes  as  President  of  the  Council,  and  had  formed  a  new 
Cabinet.  The  latter  was  appointed  Ambassador  in  London, 
and,  to  show  that  the  dismissal  of  his  favourite  was  not  a 
disgrace,  and  that  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  with  his  services, 
Louis  XVIII.  bestowed  upon  him  the  title  of  duke.  The  King, 
indeed,  was  almost  as  much  afflicted  by  the  departure  of  his 
favourite  as  he  had  been  by  the  assassination  of  his  nephew. 
"  Farewell,  my  dear  son,"  he  wrote  to  him  ;  "  I  bless  you  a 
thousand  times  from  the  depths  of  a  broken  heart !  " 

Thus  terminated  the  ministerial  career  of  a  man  who  had 
scarcely  attained  his  fortieth  year,  and  who  was  to  live  for 
over  forty  more  without  ever  returning  to  power.  For  five 
years  he  had  exercised  in  France  an  influence  which  few  have 
equalled,  and,  if  he  had  made  mistakes,  his  policy  as  a  whole 
undoubtedly  added  to  the  life  of  the  Monarchy.2 

The  body  of  the  Due  de  Berry  remained  in  the  governor's 
apartments  at  the  Louvre  until  February  16,  when  it  was 
removed  to  the  southern  gallery  of  the  palace,  which  had  been 
hung  with  funeral  draperies  and  sumptuously  decorated,  and 
placed  on  a  catafalque,  surrounded  by  lighted  tapers  ;  the 
insignia  of  the  prince's  rank  :  the  sword,  the  ducal  crown,  the 
royal  mantle,  and  the  collars  of  his  various  Orders  being 
deposited  beside  it.  On  either  side  of  the  catafalque  two  altars 
had  been  erected,  where  masses  were  said  all  the  morning,  and 
the  Office  of  the  Dead  recited  at  night.     The  officers  of  the 

1  Lamartine,  Histoire  de  la  Restauration  ;  Ernest  Daudet,  Louis  XVIII.  et  le  due 
Decazes. 

2  Vieil-Castel,  Histoire  de  la  Restauration. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  165 

prince's  Household  and  the  heralds-at-arms  watched  beside  the 
dead. 

For  a  week  the  murdered  prince  lay  in  state,  while  an 
endless  procession  of  people,  from  the  Due  d'Orleans  to  the 
humblest  workman,  defiled  before  the  catafalque.  Then,  on 
the  morning  of  February  22,  the  coffin  was  transported,  in  great 
pomp,  to  the  Abbey  of  Saint-Denis,  in  a  funeral  car  surmounted 
by  a  silver  urn.  Here,  it  was  again  exposed  in  a  chapelle  ardente 
until  March  14,  on  which  day  the  obsequies  took  place  with  all 
the  impressive  ceremonial  of  the  ancient  Monarchy,  in  the 
presence  of  the  King,  the  Royal  Family,  the  Princes  and 
Princesses  of  the  Blood,  the  nobility,  the  clergy,  deputations 
from  the  Chambers,  and  representatives  of  every  profession  and 
trade  in  the  capital,  places  being  reserved  even  for  the  charcoal- 
burners  and  market-porters.  The  old  basilica,  hung  with  black 
throughout  its  whole  extent,  resembled  an  immense  tomb,  and 
"  such  was  the  grandeur  of  the  pageant  that  those  present  might 
have  fancied  themselves  assisting  at  the  obsequies  of  the 
Monarchy." 1  "  The  body  having  been  lowered  into  the  grave," 
says  the  Journal  de  Parts,  "  the  King-at-arms  of  France  and 
two  heralds-at-arms  approached  the  tomb.  The  King-at-arms 
remained  at  the  entrance,  and  the  two  heralds  descended  into 
the  vault.  The  King-at-arms  then  summoned  in  succession  the 
principal  officers  of  Mgr.  le  due  de  Berry,  who  were  carrying 
the  insignia,  and  they  presented  themselves  in  the  following 
order :  the  collar  of  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Fleece,  the  grand 
cordon  of  the  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  the  grand  cordon 
of  the  Order  of  Saint-Louis,  the  collar  of  the  Order  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  mantle,  and  the  crown.  The  crown  was  born  by 
M.  de  Nantouillet,2  who  pronounced  the  following  words,  in 
addressing  the  officers  of  the  prince's  Household :  '  Mgr.  le 
due  de  Berry,  your  master  and  mine  is  dead  !  Officers,  provide 
for  yourselves.'  The  King-at-arms  then  cried  twice  in  a  loud 
voice  :  '  Very  high  and  very  puissant  Charles  Ferdinand  d'Artois, 
due  de  Berry,  is  dead  !     Pray  God  for  the  repose  of  his  soul ! ' "  3 

The  Opera-house,  at  the  door  of  which  the  Due  de  Berry 
had  received  his  mortal  wound,  and  where  he  had  breathed 

1  Memoires  touchant  la  vie  et  la  mort  du  due  de  Berry. 

-  The  Comte  Nantouillet  had  been  first  gentleman  of  the  chamber  to  the  Due 
de  Berry. 

3  Journal  de  Paris,  March  15,  1820. 


166  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

his  last,  was  never  used  again  after  the  night  of  the  crime. 
Regarded  henceforth  as  an  accursed  place,  its  demolition  was 
immediately  voted  by  the  Chambers,  and  it  was  decided  to 
erect  on  the  site  an  expiatory  chapel.  The  monument,  however, 
was  still  unfinished  at  the  time  of  the  fall  of  the  legitimate 
monarchy,  and,  after  hesitating  for  a  year  or  two  whether  to 
proceed  with  it  or  no,  Louis-Philippe  caused  it  to  be  pulled 
down.  A  fountain  now  marks  the  spot  where  the  Due  de  Berry 
was  assassinated. 

Another  attempt  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  unfortunate 
prince  met  with  a  happier  fate.  A  few  weeks  after  his  death, 
the  municipal  council  of  Versailles — the  town  in  which  he  had 
been  born — started  a  public  subscription,  with  the  object  of 
erecting  a  monument  in  the  cathedral  ;  and,  on  February  12, 
1824,  a  marble  statue  by  the  sculptor  Pradier  was  unveiled  there. 
It  represented  the  Due  de  Berry  expiring,  supported  by  Religion, 
who  was  presenting  to  him  the  cross,  while  on  the  pedestal  was 
the  town  of  Versailles,  represented  by  a  woman  weeping  over 
a  tomb,  and  the  famous  words  : 

"Grace,  grace  pour  Thc-mme." 

After  the  July  Revolution,  this  statue  was  removed  from  the 
cathedral,  lest  it  should  offend  the  susceptibilities  of  the 
supporters  of  the  new  regime,  and  it  was  not  until  1852,  when 
Napoleon  III.  had  ascended  the  throne,  that  it  was  replaced. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  installed  at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan  at  the  Tuileries — A 
cruel  contrast — First  appearance  of  the  princess  in  public  since  the  death  of  her 
husband — Jacobin  attempts  against  her  and  her  unborn  child — Courage  of  the 
princess — Singular  dream — Her  conviction  that  she  is  destined  to  bear  a  prince — 
Violent  agitation  against  the  Government — Riots  in  Paris — Trial  of  Louvel — His 
behaviour  while  in  prison — His  remarkable  speech  before  the  Chamber  of  Peers — He 
is  sentenced  to  death — His  last  hours — His  execution — Formidable  conspiracy  against 
the  reigning  dynasty  discovered — The  hopes  of  the  Royalists  are  centred  in  the 
child  which  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  is  to  bear — Verses  of  Victor  Hugo — Arrival  of  a 
deputation  from  the  market-women  of  Bordeaux  to  present  a  cradle  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry — A  present  from  Pau — The  name  of  Henri  chosen  for  the  hoped-for  prince — A 
rumour  is  circulated  by  the  enemies  of  the  Monarchy  that  the  princess  is  not  pregnant, 
and  that  there  is  to  be  a  supposititious  child — Precautions  adopted  by  Louis  XVIII.  to 
refute  this  calumny. 

THE  Duchesse  de  Berry's  stay  at  Saint-Cloud  only  lasted 
a  few  days.  It  had  been  decided  that  the  Tuileries 
was  to  be  her  residence  in  future,  and  that  she  should 
occupy  the  apartments  on  the  ground-floor  of  the  Pavilion  de 
Marsan,  which  had  been  those  of  her  husband  before  his  marriage ; 
and,  as  soon  as  the  necessary  preparations  had  been  completed, 
she  returned  to  Paris  and  took  possession  of  them. 

These  apartments  were  not  entirely  strange  to  the  princess. 
She  had  slept  there  on  the  night  of  her  triumphant  entry  into 
Paris  in  1816,  the  eve  of  her  marriage  at  Notre-Dame.  Ah! 
how  happy,  how  full  of  joyous  anticipation,  she  had  been  then  ! 
How  little  did  she  imagine  that  in  less  than  four  years  the 
prince  whom  she  was  to  wed  on  the  morrow  would  be  snatched 
from  her  by  one  of  the  most  terrible  crimes  in  the  blood-stained 
annals  of  French  history  !  And  all  her  surroundings  had  been 
in  harmony  with  her  feelings ;  everything  had  been  made 
ready  to  welcome  the  happy  bride.  The  apartments  had  been 
upholstered  and  decorated  in  the  most  cheerful  of  colours  ; 
choice  flowers  in  exquisitely-carved  silver  bowls  or  porcelain 
vases  had  stood  on  every  table  ;  gilded  mirrors  had  reflected 
her  smiles.    Now  all  was  changed  ;  that  fairylike  abode  resembled 

167 


168  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

a  mortuary  chapel,  for,  in  accordance  with  Court  etiquette,  the 
walls  were  draped  in  black  ;  the  mirrors,  the  chairs,  the  foot- 
stools, were  covered  with  crape,  and,  when  evening  came,  none 
but  candles  of  yellow  wax  were  lighted.  The  only  concession 
that  Louis  XVIII.  had  been  persuaded  to  accord  was  that,  in 
the  duchess's  bedchamber,  the  black  should  be  replaced  by  grey. 
The  poor  princess,  however,  still  entirely  absorbed  by  her  grief, 
only  sighed  and  made  no  complaint. 

For  a  month  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  remained  in  her  apart- 
ments, and  it  was  only  on  March  20 — exactly  five  weeks  after 
the  tragedy  which  had  deprived  her  of  her  husband — that  she 
showed  herself  in  public  again,  when  dressed  in  the  deepest 
mourning,  and  accompanied  by  her  little  daughter,  she  took 
a  walk  along  the  Terrasse  du  Bord  de  l'Eau.  Her  pregnancy 
had  now  been  officially  announced,  and  her  appearance  was 
greeted  with  enthusiastic  acclamations ;  and  every  day  crowds 
assembled  in  the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries  and  waited  patiently 
for  hours,  on  the  chance  of  catching  a  glimpse  of  the  young 
widow  who  bore  within  her  the  hope  of  all  royalist  France. 

Louvel,  as  we  have  seen,  had  had  no  accomplices,  but,  in  the 
disturbed  condition  of  the  country,  there  were,  unhappily,  only 
too  many  who  secretly  rejoiced  at  a  crime  which  had  removed 
the  only  prince  of  the  reigning  branch  of  the  Bourbons  likely 
to  leave  posterity,  and  some  who  were  even  prepared  to  con- 
summate the  work  of  the  fanatic's  dagger  by  the  destruction 
of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  unborn  child. 

A  little  before  midnight  on  April  28,  a  petard  was  exploded 
near  the  windows  of  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  under  one  of  the 
wickets  of  the  Place  du  Carrousel,  obviously  in  the  hope  of 
causing  the  duchess  such  a  shock  that  a  miscarriage  would 
follow.  The  princess,  however,  showed  the  utmost  sang-froid, 
and  merely  remarked  :  "  They  would  evidently  like  to  frighten 
me,  but  they  will  not  succeed." 

Some  nights  later,  the  attempt  was  renewed ;  but,  this  time, 
the  police  were  on  the  alert,  and  arrested  the  criminal,  as  he  was 
in  the  act  of  laying  a  match  to  the  train.  He  proved  to  be  a 
former  officer  in  the  Army  named  Gravier,  and  it  was  subse- 
quently ascertained  that  he  had  an  accomplice  of  the  name 
of  Bouton.  Both  were  brought  to  trial  and,  a  little  while  after 
the  birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  condemned  to  death.  The 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  however,  hastened  to  intercede  for  them, 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  169 

and  their  sentence  was  commuted  to  one  of  imprisonment. 
"  The  angel  whom  I  mourn,"  wrote  she  to  the  King,  "  demanded, 
when  he  was  dying,  mercy  for  his  murderer;  he  will  always 
be  the  arbiter  of  my  life.  Permit  me,  my  dear  uncle,  to  implore 
your  Majesty  to  accord  the  favour  of  life  to  these  two  unhappy 
men."1 

This  incident  occasioned  the  Court  general  alarm,  and  the 
crowds  which  daily  assembled  to  wait  for  the  appearance  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  became  a  subject  of  perpetual  anxiety.  It 
was  therefore  suggested  to  her  that,  when  she  went  to  take  her 
morning  walk  upon  the  terrace,  she  should  make  use  of  the  under- 
ground passages  which  formed  a  means  of  communication  be- 
tween it  and  the  terrace,  instead  of  passing  through  the  gardens. 
She  indignantly  refused,  however,  to  take  any  such  precaution. 
"  I  am  delighted,"  said  she,  "  to.  show  myself  to  these  worthy 
people,  who  share  our  joy  and  our  hopes,  and  if  they  did  not 
see  me  any  more,  they  might  imagine  that  I  was  afraid." 

The  natural  courage  of  the  princess  had  been  fortified  by 
a  singular  dream  which  she  had  lately  had,  and  in  which  she 
had  seen  a  certain  proof  of  the  divine  protection-;  and,  from  that 
moment,  she  was  firmly  persuaded,  not  only  that  she  would  be 
safely  delivered,  but  that  her  child  would  be  a  son. 

"  About  the  fourth  month  of  my  pregnancy,"  she  writes, 
"while  I  was  asleep,  I  beheld  Saint-Louis  enter  my  room,  just 
as  he  is  painted,  his  crown  on  his  head,  his  great  royal  mantle 
sewn  with  the  fleurs-de-lis,  and  his  venerable  face.  I  presented 
my  little  girl  to  him.  He  opened  his  mantle  and  presented  me 
with  the  prettiest  little  boy.  Then,  taking  off  his  crown,  he 
placed  it  on  his  head. 

"  For  my  part,  I  kept  pushing  Louise  forward.  Nevertheless, 
he  persisted  in  keeping  the  crown  on  the  boy's  head,  though  he 
sheltered  my  daughter  under  his  mantle.  Saint-Louis  then 
disappeared  with  my  two  children,  and  I  awoke  persuaded  that 
I  should  bear  a  son,  and  since  then  not  a  single  doubt  on 
that  subject  occurred  to  me  during  the  whole  time  of  my 
pregnancy."  2 

Louis  XVIII.,  who  did  not  share  this  blind  confidence  and 
feared  that,  if  the  princess's  expectations  were  not  realised,  the 

1  Nettement,  Memoires  sur  Madame,  la  duchesse  de  Berri. 

2  Letter  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the  Comte  de  Brissac,  published  by  Imbert 
de  Saint- Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de  Louis  XVIII. 


i;o  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

disappointment  would  be  a  cruel  one  and  might  have  a  prejudicial 
effect  upon  her  health,  warned  her  not  to  make  so  sure,  but  she 
only  smiled  and  observed  :  "  Saint-Louis  knows  more  about  it 
than  you,  father." l  And  she  commissioned  a  very  beautiful 
silver-gilt  statue  representing  Louis  IX.  as  he  had  appeared  to 
her,  procured  several  relics  of  the  saintly  monarch,  which  she 
placed  upon  the  pedestal,  and  offered  up  a  fervent  prayer  before 
the  statue  every  day. 

It  might  be  said  that  France  herself  was  in  travail  during 
the  pregnancy  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  The  discussions  on 
the  vexed  question  of  the  modification  of  the  Electoral  Law 
roused  party  passions  to  so  dangerous  a  height  that  the  country 
seemed  to  be  on  the  verge  of  civil  war.  Never  since  the 
Revolution  had  there  been  such  turmoil  in  the  streets  of  Paris. 
While  inside  the  Palais-Bourbon  the  deputies  were  exchanging 
the  bitterest  recriminations,  outside  cavalry  were  charging  the 
tumultuous  crowds  which  had  gathered  to  protest  against  the 
reactionary  policy  of  the  new  Government.  Every  evening  the 
troops  and  the  rioters  bivouacked  in  the  public  squares.  "  Paris," 
writes  Lamartine,  "resembled  a  camp  in  which  two  nations 
stood  face  to  face,  the  one  to  impose,  the  other  to  refuse,  sub- 
mission to  the  ministerial  law."  2 

In  the  midst  of  these  commotions,  Louvel  was  tried  by  the 
Chamber  of  Peers  (June  5,  1820).  That  his  trial  had  been 
deferred  until  then  was  due  to  the  hope  that  he  might  be 
induced  to  reveal  his  accomplices,  or  that,  failing  such  confession, 
the  authorities  might  succeed  in  discovering  them.  But,  since 
he  persisted  in  asserting  that  he  alone  was  guilty,  and  since  the 
most  rigorous  investigation  failed  to  show  that  he  had  held  com- 
munication with  any  one  save  a  few  harmless  persons  of  his  own 
class  for  many  months  preceding  the  crime,  the  commissioners 
charged  with  the  affair  at  length  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he 
spoke  the  truth.  "  This  decision  was  received  with  disgust  by 
the  '  Ultras,'  and  M.  de  Bastard  3  was  almost  regarded  as  his 
accomplice,  because  he  refused  to  recognise  accomplices  in  those 
whom  party  spirit  marked  as  such."  4 

1  Souvenirs  du  lieutenant-giniral  vicomtc  de  Reiset. 

2  Histoire  de  la  Restaur  ation. 

s  Dominique  Francois  Marie,  Comte  de  Bastard  l'Estang.     He  was  president  of 
the  commission. 

4  Madame  de  Boigne,  Mfmoires. 


A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE  171 

During  his  confinement,  first  at  the  Luxembourg  and  after- 
wards at  the  Conciergerie,  Louvel  had  shown  himself  a  model 
prisoner,  conforming  willingly  to  the  regulations,  uttering  no 
complaint,  and  being  scrupulously  clean  in  his  person.  For  his 
crime  he  showed  no  vestige  of  repentance,  but  appeared  to  glory 
in  it,  declaring  that  posterity  would  hold  him  justified.  In 
regard  to  his  fate  he  evinced  the  most  stoical  indifference  ;  he 
had  counted  the  cost  and  was  fully  prepared  to  pay  it.  When, 
on  the  day  of  his  trial,  it  was  suggested  that  if  he  expressed 
penitence  before  his  judges,  the  royal  clemency  might  possibly 
be  extended  to  him,  out  of  respect  for  the  last  wishes  of  his 
victim,  he  repulsed  the  idea  with  scorn.  "  Speak  not  to  me 
of  repentance  or,  above  all,  of  clemency  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  For 
I  declare  that,  if  the  mercy  demanded  by  the  Due  de  Berry 
were  accorded  me,  it  would  be  more  painful  than  death."  Then 
he  turned  away  and  began  playing  with  a  little  dog  belonging 
to  one  of  the  Conciergerie  officials,  which  had  attached  itself  to 
him. 

Although  quite  unconcerned  for  himself,  he  was  much 
distressed  on  account  of  his  sisters — two  very  respectable  women 
— fearing  that  people  might  now  be  prejudiced  against  them  and 
would  refuse  to  employ  them,  and  he  wrote,  begging  for  their 
forgiveness.  Before  leaving  the  Conciergerie,  he  asked,  as  a 
favour,  that  the  coarse  sheets  on  his  bed  might  be  changed  for 
finer  ones,  in  order  that  he  might  sleep  in  comfort  on  the  last 
night  which  he  was  to  pass  on  earth. 

"  He  appeared  before  the  Chamber  of  Peers,"  writes  Bar- 
thelemy  Saint-Hilaire,  "dressed  exactly  as  he  had  been  on  the 
night  of  the  crime.  His  blue  redingote  was  buttoned  up  to  the 
chin,  and  he  wore  a  black  cravat.  His  face  was  pale  and  wan, 
like  that  of  a  man  who  comes  forth  from  a  long  captivity,  but 
his  demeanour  was  calm  and  perfectly  assured.  He  supported 
without  emotion  his  entrance  into  a  court  where  the  most  lively 
curiosity  awaited  him,  and  all  present  were  astonished  at  his 
manner  and  his  attitude  ;  they  had  not  expected  such  dignity 
and  propriety  in  a  man  of  his  profession."  1 

His  examination  was  a  brief  one,  and  he  replied  with 
assurance  and  good  sense  to  all  the  questions  addressed  to  him. 
He  again  denied  that  he  had  had  any  accomplices  and  declared 
that   it   was  "  une  interieure  commission "   with  which  he  had 

1  La  psychologic  criminelle  ;  Louvel,  Revue  des  Deux  MonJes,  May  1830. 


172  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

charged  himself.  "  Were  you  not  well  aware  that  your  crime 
was  a  capital  offence  ? "  inquired  the  president  of  the  court. 
"  That  was  a  matter  of  such  little  consequence,"  was  the  reply. 
"  Nothing  need  be  seen  in  me  but  a  good  Frenchman  who 
sacrifices  himself  for  his  country.  If  I  had  escaped,  I  should 
have  persevered  against  the  Due  d'Angouleme  and  all  the 
others  who  have  borne  arms  against  the  country,  and  who  have 
betrayed  it." 

Contrary  to  anticipation,  it  was  found  impossible  to  finish 
the  case  that  day,  and  the  court  accordingly  adjourned  until  the 
following  morning.  "  It  is  a  day  gained,"  observed  one  of  the 
gendarmes  who  guarded  him  to  the  prisoner.  "  Say  rather 
that  it  is  a  day  lost,"  replied  Louvel.  He  was  ably  defended 
by  Maitre  Bonnet,  a  brilliant  advocate,  who  pleaded  that  his 
client  was  a  monomaniac,  who  ought  not  to  be  held  accountable 
for  his  actions,  and  made  an  eloquent  appeal  to  the  court  to 
respect  the  dying  entreaty  of  the  Due  de  Berry.  His  description 
of  the  ill-fated  prince's  anxiety  to  obtain  the  King's  promise  that 
the  life  of  his  assassin  should  be  spared  was  so  touching  that 
every  one  was  in  tears,  and  it  is  just  possible  that,  if  Louvel  had 
remained  silent,  his  condemnation  might  have  been  followed  by 
a  recommendation  to  mercy.  But  any  remote  chance  which 
the  prisoner  might  have  possessed  he  deliberately  threw  away, 
for,  when  asked  if  he  had  anything  to  say  in  his  defence, 
disregarding  the  advice  of  his  counsel,  he  rose  and  asked 
permission  to  read  to  the  court  a  statement  which  he  had 
prepared.  This  being  accorded  him,  he  drew  a  paper  from  his 
pocket,  and,  "  in  a  tone  of  the  coldest  insensibility,"  *  proceeded 
to  deliver  the  following  bitter  indictment  of  the  Bourbons : 

"Gentlemen,  I  have  to  blush  for  a  crime  which  I  alone 
committed.  I  have  the  consolation  of  believing,  in  dying,  that 
I  have  dishonoured  neither  the  nation  nor  my  family.  Nothing 
need  be  seen  in  me  but  a  Frenchman  who  vowed  to  sacrifice 
himself,  in  order  to  destroy,  in  pursuit  of  his  system,  a  part  of 
the  men  who  have  taken  up  arms  against  his  country.  I  am 
accused  of  having  taken  the  life  of  a  prince  ;  I  alone  am  guilty  ; 
but  among  the  men  who  compose  the  Government  there  are 

1  Journal des  Debats,  June  7,  1820.  "Horror  and  indignation "  did  not  permit 
the  Dibats  to  transcribe  this  document,  and  its  contemporaries  were  equally  discreet. 
It  was  not,  indeed,  until  1830  that  it  was  published  by  Barthelemy  Saint-Hilaire,  in 
a  remarkable  article  on  Louvel,  in  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes. 


A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE  173 

men  more  guilty  than  I  am.  .  .  .  They  have,  in  my  view, 
recognised  crimes  as  virtues.  The  worst  governments  France 
has  had  have  punished  the  men  who  have  betrayed  her,  and 
who  have  borne  arms  against  the  country." 

Here  the  prisoner's  voice  began  sensibly  to  falter ;  and  he 
seemed  to  hesitate  over  certain  sentences,  of  which  he  read  the 
commencement  without  being  able  to  finish  them.  However, 
he  soon  recovered  his  self-possession,  though  he  continued  to 
make  occasional  pauses : 

"According  to  my  system,  when  foreign  armies  threaten  .  .  . 
internal  factions  ought  to  cease  their  strife,  and  to  rally  to 
combat  them,  to  make  common  cause  against  the  enemies  of  all 
France.  The  Frenchmen  who  do  not  rally  are  criminals.  The 
Frenchman  who  is  compelled,  by  the  injustice  of  the  Govern- 
ment, to  leave  France — if  this  same  Frenchman  proceeds  to 
take  up  arms  on  behalf  of  foreign  armies  against  France,  he 
becomes  a  criminal,  and  is  unable  to  resume  his  quality  of 
French  citizen. 

"  In  my  view  ...  I  cannot  avoid  believing  that  if  the  battle 
of  Waterloo  was  so  fatal  to  France,  it  is  because  there  were 
Frenchmen  at  Ghent  and  Brussels  who  had  sown  treason  in 
our  army  and  had  aided  the  foreigner. 

"  According  to  me  and  according  to  my  system,  the  death 
of  Louis  XVI.  was  necessary,  because  the  entire  nation  con- 
sented to  it.  If  it  had  been  a  handful  of  intriguers  who  had 
gone  to  the  King's  palace  and  had  taken  his  life  in  a  moment 
.  .  .  yes.  I  should  believe  it.  .  .  .  But,  as  Louis  XVI.  and  his 
family  remained  under  arrest  for  a  long  time,  it  is  inconceivable 
that  it  should  not  have  been  by  the  consent  of  the  nation.  .  .  . 
So  that  if  there  had  been  only  a  few  men,  he  would  not  have 
perished.  The  mass  of  the  nation  would  have  been  opposed 
to  it.  To-day,  the  Bourbons  claim  to  be  masters  of  the  nation  ; 
but,  in  my  view,  the  Bourbons  are  criminals,  and  the  nation 
would  be  dishonoured  if  it  allowed  itself  to  be  governed  by 
them." 

The  last  part  of  this  speech  was  pronounced  in  so  low  a 
voice  that  there  were  moments  in  which  he  was  scarcely  audible, 
notwithstanding  the  profound  silence  which  reigned.  At  its 
conclusion  he  bowed  to  the  court,  and  was  conducted  from  the 
dock  and  back  to  the  Conciergerie,  while  the  Peers  went  through 
the  form  of  deliberating  upon  his  fate. 


174  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

About  an  hour  later — it  was  half-past  two  in  the  afternoon — 
Cauchy,  secretary  of  the  Chamber,  came  to  his  cell  to  read  to 
him  the  sentence  of  the  court,  which  condemned  him  to  death 
and,  according  to  custom,  "  mulcted  him  in  the  expenses  of  the 
trial" — the  wretched  man  possessed  nothing  but  his  saddler's 
tools  and  the  clothes  in  which  he  stood — and  to  inform  him 
that  the  execution  was  fixed  for  the  following  morning  at  eight 
o'clock. 

The  prisoner,  sitting  at  the  foot  of  his  bed,  heard  him 
without  the  slightest  sign  of  emotion.  "  Do  you  wish  me  to 
send  for  a  priest  ? "  inquired  Cauchy.  "  No,  I  thank  you, 
Monsieur.  Of  what  use  will  a  priest  be  to  me  ?  Will  he  make 
me  go  to  Paradise  ?  I  should,  however,  be  almost  glad  to  do 
so,  for  I  might  perhaps  find  there  the  Prince  de  Conde,  who  has 
also  borne  arms  against  France!"  Cauchy  insisted.  "Well, 
let  it  be  so ! "  said  Louvel.  "  Send  me  the  priest ;  I  will  receive 
him  with  pleasure  ;  he  will  keep  me  company." 

He  passed  the  night  in  writing  to  his  relatives  and  in 
conversation  with  the  priest — the  Abbe  Montes,  almoner  of 
the  Conciergerie — who  remained  with  him  until  the  morning, 
exhorting  him  to  repentance  and  speaking  of  the  infinite  mercy 
of  God.  Louvel  was  sensibly  touched  by  the  good  man's 
kindness.  "You  have  sent  me  an  excellent  man,"  said  he  to 
Cauchy,  who  came  early  in  the  morning  to  inform  him  that  the 
execution  had  been  postponed  until  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. "  I  feared  that  my  resistance  caused  him  too  much  pain, 
and  his  kindness  so  affected  me  that  I  fell  on  my  knees  to 
confess  to  him  some  peccadilloes." l 

When,  at  seven  o'clock,  the  priest  left  him,  he  asked  for 
some  soup  and  wine,  to  restore  him  after  his  night's  vigil,  and 
then  threw  himself  upon  his  bed  and  slept  for  some  hours.  At 
two  o'clock,  he  took  some  food  and  afterwards  wrote  several 
letters.  He  appeared  quite  calm  and  almost  cheerful.  "  What 
a  number  of  people  there  will  be  on  the  road ! "  said  he  to  the 
prison  officials.  "  I  am  sure  that  they  will  have  paid  very 
dearly  for  windows  to  see  me.  It  is  singular  this  eagerness  of 
the  multitude  to  assist  at  an  execution."  2 

The  time  fixed  for  his  departure  from  the  Conciergerie 
passed,  and  the  tumbril  which  was  to  convey  him  to  the  Place 

1  Barthelemy  Saint-Hilaire. 

*  Charles  Nauroy,  les  Derniers  Bourbons  :  le  due  de  Berry  et  Louvel. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  175 

de  Greve  did  not  arrive.  Owing  apparently  to  the  disturbed 
condition  of  the  streets,  and  their  fear  that  a  rescue  might  be 
attempted  by  the  mob,  the  authorities  were  taking  the  pre- 
caution to  strengthen  the  troops  lining  the  route,  and  this  had 
necessitated  a  further  postponement  of  two  hours. 

Towards  five  o'clock  Louvel  showed  some  impatience.  "  My 
carriage  is  very  slow  in  coming  to  fetch  me,"  said  he,  "for  I 
presume  it  will  be  a  carriage.  There  are  countries  where  the 
criminal  makes  the  journey  on  foot.  At  Douai,  for  example." 
And  he  coolly  related  to  the  astonished  warders  particulars  of 
an  execution  which  he  had  witnessed  in  that  town.1 

At  length  the  tumbril  arrived,  and  he  set  out  for  the  Place  de 
Greve,  escorted  by  gendarmes  and  the  cuirassiers  of  the  Guard. 
The  Abb£  Montes  was  by  his  side,  but  the  condemned  man  paid 
no  attention  to  his  exhortations.  "  His  demeanour,"  writes  Bar- 
thelemy  Saint-Hilaire,  "  was  what  it  had  always  been — calm, 
cold,  and,  on  that  day,  a  little  disdainful.  He  had  obtained 
permission  to  keep  his  hat,  which  protected  his  head,  which  was 
bald  in  front.  His  eyes  wandered  calmly  over  the  immense 
crowd  gathered  to  gaze  at  him,  and  his  countenance,  during  the 
transit,  did  not  appear  to  change  for  a  single  instant.  It  is 
true,  however,  that  for  a  long  time  past  his  complexion  had 
been  of  a  deadly  pallor.  At  the  foot  of  the  scaffold  the  abbe 
said :  •  My  son,  there  is  still  time  to  disarm  the  Lord  by  a 
sincere  repentance.'  '  Let  us  make  haste,'  replied  he.  '  I  am 
sorry  about  it ;  but  I  am  not  expected  up  there.'  He  mounted 
the  scaffold  with  a  step  which  he  endeavoured  to  render  firm, 
but  his  long  imprisonment  had  exhausted  all  his  strength,  and 
the  executioner's  assistants  were  obliged  to  support  him.  While 
they  were  tying  him  to  the  fatal  plank,  his  eyes  wandered  calmly 
over  the  people  in  all  directions.  Almost  exactly  at  six  o'clock 
his  head  fell." 

The  Electoral  Bill  was  passed  on  June  I2,and  the  Chambers 
prorogued,  but  the  agitation  in  the  country  still  continued. 
Abroad,  the  revolutionary  spirit  was  alarmingly  active,  and  the 
Bourbons  of  Spain  and  Naples  were  in  even  worse  case  than 
those  of  France.  In  Spain,  Ferdinand  VII.  had  been  compelled 
to  take  the  oath  to  the  Constitution  of  1812  and  to  open  the 
revolutionary  Cortes  ;  at  Naples,  Ferdinand  I.  of  the  Two  Sicilies 

1  Nauroy. 


176  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

had  been  obliged   temporarily  to  resign  his  authority  to   his 
eldest  son  Francis,  father  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry. 

The  insurrectionary  movements  beyond  the  Alps  and  the 
Pyrenees  were  naturally  not  without  their  influence  upon  the 
course  of  events  in  France.  Lafayette  had  declared  to  his 
friends  that  open  force  was  henceforth  the  only  efficacious 
weapon  to  overthrow  a  government  which  had  declared  war 
against  the  equality  of  classes,  and  in  mid-August  a  formidable 
conspiracy  against  the  reigning  dynasty,  in  which  Lafayette 
himself  and  several  other  deputies  of  the  Left  were  implicated, 
was  only  discovered  by  an  accident.  The  friends  of  the 
Restoration  felt  the  ground  trembling  beneath  their  feet.  No 
hope  seemed  to  remain  to  them  save  the  child  which  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  was  about  to  bear,  and  Victor  Hugo,  at  this 
time  a  fervent  Royalist,  apostrophised  the  young  princess  in  the 
following  verses  : 

"  Pourtant,  6  frele  appui  de  la  tige  royale, 

Si  Dieu  par  ton  secours  signale  son  pouvoir, 
Tu  peux  sauver  la  France,  et  de  l'hydre  infernale 

Tromper  encor  l'affreux  espoir. 
Ainsi,  quand  le  serpent,  autour  de  tous  les  crimes, 
Vouait  d'avance  aux  noirs  abimes 

L'homme  que  son  forfait  perdit, 
Le  Seigneur  abaissa  sa  farouche  arrogance  ; 
Une  femme  apparut,  qui,  faible  et  sans  defense, 

Brisa  du  pied  son  front  maudit."  ' 

Notwithstanding  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which  she  had 
passed,  the  health  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  excellent,  and 
the  nearer  she  approached  her  time,  the  more  confident  did  she 
become  that  she  was  destined  to  bear  a  son. 

The  Journal  de  Paris  of  August  20  announced  that  the 
event  upon  which  so  much  depended  might  be  expected  to  take 
place  between  the  20th  and  28th  of  the  following  month,  and,  as 
September  drew  towards  its  close,  the  excitement  became  inde- 
scribable, and  the  clergy  in  all  parts  of  the  country  were  besieged 
by  persons  who  desired  to  have  Masses  said  on  the  princess's 
behalf. 

Louis  XVIII.,  as  we  have  mentioned  elsewhere,  had  long 
since  promised  that,  if  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  gave  birth  to  a  son, 
he  should  bear  the  title  of  Due  de  Bordeaux.  Three  times  the 
hopes  of  the  Bordelais  had  been  deceived  ;  but,  on  this  occasion, 

1  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de  Louis  XVIII. 


A   PRINCESS  OF    ADVENTURE  177 

the  confidence  of  the  princess  seems  to  have  communicated 
itself  to  every  one  ;  and  a  deputation  from  the  market-women  of 
Bordeaux  was  despatched  to  Paris,  to  thank  the  King  for  the 
honour  done  to  their  city  and  to  offer  the  duchess  a  sumptuous 
cradle  for  the  reception  of  her  expected  child.  The  deputation 
was  entertained  to  dinner  by  Chateaubriand  and  Clausel  de 
Coussergues,  and  requested  the  former  to  present  them  and 
their  cradle  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  But  his  Majesty  had 
not  forgotten  that,  after  the  dismissal  of  Decazes,  the  author  of 
le  Genie  du  Christianisme  had  contributed  an  article  to  the  Con- 
servateur,  in  which,  speaking  of  the  fallen  favourite,  he  had 
declared  that  "his  feet  had  slipped  in  blood,"  and,  says 
Chateaubriand,  "  I  was  not  thought  worthy  to  act  as  introducer 
of  my  humble  ambassadresses."  * 

The  ambassadresses,  however,  were  very  graciously  received 
at  the  Tuileries,  and  their  leader,  Madame  Aniche,  in  present- 
ing the  cradle,  entreated  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  lie  in  at 
Bordeaux,  since  it  was  only  fitting  that  the  little  duke  should 
be  born  in  the  city  from  which  he  was  to  take  his  title,  and  both 
he  and  his  mother  would  be  much  safer  there  than  in  Paris. 
"  This,"  said  she,  proudly  pointing  to  the  cradle,  "  is  to  lay  our 
prince  in.  We  women  will  wash  his  swaddling-clothes,  and 
our  men  will  take  care  that  the  Jacobins  do  not  prevent  him 
from  sleeping."  2  The  princess  had  considerable  difficulty  in 
making  these  worthy  women  understand  that  it  was  impossible 
for  her  to  accede  to  their  request. 

About  the  same  time,  there  arrived,  from  Pau,  a  box  contain- 
ing a  bottle  of  Jurancon  wine  and  a  clove  of  garlic,  accompanied 
by  a  letter,  in  which  the  writer,  a  certain  Chevalier  de  Gre, 
expressed  the  hope  that  Louis  XVIII.  would  make  the  same 
use  of  them  at  the  Tuileries  as  Henri  d'Albret,  King  of  Navarre, 
had  done  at  the  Chateau  of  Pau,  on  December  15,  1553,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  birth  of  Henri  IV.3  He  also  enclosed  a  copy  of 
the  petition  to  Notre-Dame  du  Bout  du  Pont  which  Jeanne 
d'Albret  had  chanted  just  before  the  birth  of  her  son.4 


1  Memoires  d'outre-tombe. 

2  Nettement,  Mimoires  sur  Madame,  la  Duchesse  de  Berri. 

3  In  accordance  with  an  old  Bearnese  custom,  Henri  d'Albret  is  said  to  have 
moistened  the  boy's  lips  with  the  wine  and  rubbed  them  with  the  garlic. 

4  The  following  is  a  French  translation  of  the  petition,  which  was  in  the  Bearnese 
patois  : 

N 


178  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

This  pretty  tradition,  we  are  told,  greatly  pleased  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  and,  in  default  of  Notre-Dame  du  Bout  du 
Pont,  she  at  once  vowed  a  pilgrimage  to  Notre-Dame  de  Liesse, 
if  her  prayers  were  answered. 

It  had  been  announced  that,  if  the  child  so  eagerly  awaited 
were  a  boy,  he  should  be  named  after  the  first  Bourbon  King, 
and  this  decision  had  been  hailed  by  the  Royalists  with  universal 
approval.  "  People  returned  to  this  idea  of  Henri  IV.,"  observes 
Nettement,  "  with  a  pleasure  about  which  there  was  something 
remarkable.  It  appeared  that  every  one  understood,  some  by 
instinct,  others  by  intelligence,  that  the  prince  who  was  about 
to  be  born  would  have  before  him  civil  strife  to  appease, 
obstacles  to  overcome,  perils  to  surmount,  an  epoch  of  trouble 
and  political  passions  to  close.  The  public  imagination  was 
providing  for  the  needs  of  France.  The  birth  of  a  Henri  IV. 
appeared  probable,  because  the  genius  of  a  Henri  IV.  appeared 
necessary." 

Such  was  the  violence  of  party  spirit  at  this  time  that  the 
enemies  of  the  Restoration  obstinately  refused  to  believe  in  a 
pregnancy  so  opportune  for  the  Monarchy,  and  pretended  that 
there  was  to  be  a  supposititious  child.  Absurd  as  this  rumour 
was,  Louis  XVIII.  recognised  the  importance  of  removing  all 
possible  ground  for  it,  and  every  precaution  was  accordingly 
taken.  As  the  official  witnesses  of  the  birth,  he  selected  the 
Marechal  Due  de  Coigny,  a  gallant  old  soldier  who  had  gained 
his  first  laurels,  under  Richelieu,  in  the  campaign  of  Hanover  in 
1757,  and  was  respected  even  by  the  Jacobins,  and  Marechal 
Suchet,  Due  d'Albufera.  Both  were  men  whose  integrity  was 
proverbial,  and  the  testimony  of  the  latter — a  marshal  of  the 
Empire — would  be  quite  above  suspicion.  By  orders  of  the 
King,  Coigny  and  Suchet  were  installed  at  the  Tuileries,  in  the 
Pavilion  de  Flore,  from  the  middle  of  September,  and  the 
accoucheur  Deneux  and  the  wet-nurse  were  also  at  their  posts. 

"  Notre-Dame  du  Pout  du  Bont, 
Secourez-moi  a  l'heure  qu'il  est ; 

Priez  le  Dieu  qui  est  au  ciel 

Qu'il  veuille  bien  me  delivrer  tot, 
Et  que  d'un  fils  qu'il  me  tasse  don. 
Tout  jusqu'  a  la  cime  des  montagnes  l'implorer. 

Notre-Dame  du  Bout  du  Pont, 

Secourez-moi  a  l'heure  qu'il  est." 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  179 

The  latter,  who  had  been  selected  from  a  great  number  of  candi- 
dates, after  a  minute  examination  of  her  physical  and  moral 
qualities,  was  a  splendid-looking  young  woman,  who  had  just 
given  birth  to  an  exceptionally  fine  and  healthy  boy.  She 
was  the  wife  of  a  notary  at  Armentieres  called  Bayard — a  name 
which  recalled  one  of  the  most  heroic  figures  in  French  history 
— and  this  happy  coincidence  naturally  gave  rise  to  the  jest  that 
the  Due  de  Bordeaux  would  be  the  foster-brother  of  Bayard. 

As  the  eventful  moment  approached,  the  young  princess 
showed  admirable  coolness  and  courage.  Recollecting  that  her 
first  confinement  had  been  a  dangerous  one,  she  impressed  upon 
Deneux  the  necessity  of  saving  the  child  at  any  cost  to  herself. 
"  Remember,"  said  she,  "  that  you  must  not  hesitate  between  us. 
My  life  is  nothing,  his  is  everything." 1  She  had  expressed  a 
wish  to  be  brought  to  bed  in  her  salon.  Above  her  head  was 
to  be  Gerard's  full-length  portrait  of  the  duke,  and  facing  her  a 
picture  painted  by  Kinson,  which  represented  her  weeping,  with 
her  little  daughter  by  her  side,  before  the  bust  of  her  husband. 

1  Souvenirs  du  lieutenant-general  vieomte  de  Reiset. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

Birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux — Singular  circumstances  attending  this  event — 
Madame  de  Gontaut's  narrative— Remarkable  courage  and  sang-froid  oi  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry — Arrival  of  the  King — The  Jurancon  wine  and  the  clove  of  garlic — "  That 
is  for  you,  and  this  is  for  me  !  "—Indescribable  enthusiasm  of  the  Parisians — The  Due 
de  Bordeaux  and  the  soldiers — Speech  of  Louis  XVIII.  to  the  crowd  at  the  Tuileries 
— The  public  admitted  to  see  the  little  prince — Rejoicings  in  Paris — The  "  child  of 
miracle  "  and  the  "  child  of  Europe  " — Hysterical  jubilation  of  the  Royalist  journals 
— Adulation  of  the  poets. 

THE  great  day  arrived  with  surprising  suddenness. 
On  September  28,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  took 
her  customary  walk  on  the  Terrasse  du  Bord  de 
1'Eau.  On  returning  to  the  palace,  she  felt  some  pain,  but 
Deneux  attached  no  importance  to  these  symptoms,  and  the 
King,  on  giving  the  countersign,  said  :  "I  do  not  believe  that 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  will  be  brought  to  bed  for  five  or  six 
days."  However,  at  half-past  two  the  following  morning,  two 
of  the  princess's  waiting-women,  Madame  de  Vathaire  and 
Madame  Bourgeois,  who  slept  in  an  adjoining  room,  the  door 
of  which  was  always  left  open,  were  awakened  by  their  mistress's 
voice  crying :  "  Quick !  Quick  !  there  is  not  a  moment  to 
lose  !  "  Both  women  sprang  up  at  once  ;  and,  while  Madame  de 
Vathaire  ran  to  warn  Deneux,  the  Duchess  de  Reggio,  and 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  Madame  Bourgeois  hastened  to  the 
princess's  bedside,  only  just  in  time  to  receive  the  child. 

It  was  a  son  ! 

"  God,  what  happiness  ! "  cried  the  mother  ;  "  it  is  a  boy  ! 
It  is  God  who  has  sent  him  to  us !  "  1 

But  let  us  listen  to  Madame  de  Gontaut's  account  of  that 
never-to-be-forgotten  night : 

"  I  spent  nearly  all  my  time  with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry ; 
but  one  evening  [September  28]  having  had  company  in  our 
little  salon,  I  had  not  seen  her,  and,  as  she  was  suffering  a 
little,  she  waited  until  my  visitors  had  departed  before  coming 

1  Declaration  of  Madame  Bourgeois,  Moniteur,  October  1,  1S20. 
180 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  181 

to  me.  She  then  confessed  to  me  that  she  had  been  in  some 
pain  during  the  evening.  I  informed  her  of  all  the  precautions 
I  had  taken,  and  I  wanted  to  stay  with  her ;  but  she  said  : 
'  Rest  easy ;  at  the  first  indication  I  will  send  for  you.'  She 
left  me,  and  before  going  to  bed  myself,  I  went  softly  to  her 
room.  All  was  quiet,  and  she  was  asleep.  I  was  doing  the 
same,  when,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  Madame  de  Vathaire 
came  to  my  door,  and,  finding  it  locked,  knocked  repeatedly, 
and  called  me  in  a  loud  voice,  saying :  '  Come,  quick,  quick  ! 
Madame  is  delivered  !  Send  the  nurse  !  Make  haste  ! '  I 
gave  the  order  to  go  to  Madame  Lemoine  [the  accoucheuse]} 
whom  I  had  warned  the  previous  evening  to  be  in  readiness  in 
case  she  was  called.     She  ran  there  at  once. 

"  As  I  was  always  prepared  to  rise  at  the  least  signal,  I  only 
waited  to  slip  on  a  peignoir,  and  to  give  some  orders  to  the  wait- 
ing-woman and  to  Mademoiselle's  nurse.  I  reached  Madame's 
room.  As  soon  as  she  saw  me,  she  held  out  her  arms  to  me, 
and  cried  :  '  It  is  Henri ! '  We  embraced  each  other  with  a 
joy  that  one  experiences  but  once  in  a  lifetime. 

"  The  child  was  crying,  and  I  examined  it.  It  appeared  to 
me  to  be  strong  and  well.  The  nurse  said  to  me  :  '  The  child 
is  doing  well ;  he  can  remain  as  he  is  for  a  few  moments.' 
Madame  cried  then:  'Quick!  Quick!  the  witnesses!'  My 
valet  de  chambre  had  followed  me  in  the  confusion,  and  I  said  : 
'Here  is  one.'  'He  is  of  no  use  to  me,'  replied  Madame,  'as 
he  is  in  your  service.'  But  she  ordered  him  to  light  up  every- 
thing and  everywhere. 

"  Madame  de  Vathaire  had  already  set  off  to  summon  the 
accoucheur  and  the  Faculty,  and  to  awaken  every  one.  I  passed 
along  a  passage  which  led  to  the  vestibule  of  the  court.  Two 
sentries  were  at  the  door,  one  belonging  to  the  Royal  Guard, 
the  other  to  the  National  Guard.  I  called  them,  and  told  them 
to  follow  me.  They  hesitated,  pleading  their  orders.  '  Come,' 
said  I, '  and  save  him  who  will  one  day  be  your  King ! '  Although 
they  did  not  understand  me,  they  were  impressed  by  the  name 
of  King,  and,  after  some  encouragement  from  a  sergeant,  they 
consented  to  follow  me.  The  sergeant  himself,  whose  name 
was  Dauphinot,  joined  us.     In  order  to  make  sure  of  them,  I 

1  This  Madame  Lemoine  was,  by  a  singular  coincidence,  the  daughter  of  the  nurse 
who  had  attended  the  Empress  Marie  Louise  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  the  King  of 
Rome. 


182  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

clutched  their  arms  tightly.  At  this  moment,  the  Duchesse  de 
Reggio,  who  had  been  sent  for,  was  descending  the  stairs. 
She  beheld  me  in  a  short  petticoat  and  black  stockings,  with 
my  peignoir  flying  open,  dragging  along  these  two  men,  astounded 
but  submissive,  and  laughingly  assured  me  that  it  was  a  sight 
she  should  never  forget  so  long  as  she  lived.  I  took  them  in 
by  the  little  narrow  corridor,  which  they  got  through  with 
difficulty.  When  we  entered  Madame's  chamber,  they  were 
the  first  witnesses.  I  placed  them  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  and 
kept  my  eye  on  them."  x 

Deneux,  the  accoucheur,  had  just  arrived,  putting  the 
finishing  touches  to  his  toilette  as  he  hurried  in.  "M.  Deneux," 
said  the  duchess,  "  we  have  a  prince  !  I  am  very  well.  Do 
not  trouble  yourself  about  me,  but  take  care  of  my  child.  Is 
there  no  danger  in  leaving  him  in  this  condition?"  Deneux, 
after  a  brief  examination  of  the  new  arrival,  whom  he  pro- 
nounced to  be  an  exceptionally  healthy  child,  reassured  her 
upon  this  point.  "  In  that  case,"  rejoined  the  courageous 
mother,  "  let  him  be.  ...  I  wish  there  to  be  no  question  about 
his  being  really  mine."  Then  she  directed  that  the  Guards 
whom  Madame  de  Gontaut  had  fetched,  and  two  others  who 
had  also  arrived,  should  be  brought  to  her  bedside.  "  Gentle- 
men," said  she,  "  you  are  witnesses  that  this  is  a  prince."  2 

To  the  Due  d'Albufera,  who  arrived  a  few  minutes  later,  she 
spoke  in  similar  terms.  "  Come,  Monsieur  le  Marshal,  and  pay 
your  respects  to  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  ;  we  are  waiting  for  you 
to  bear  witness  that  he  is  my  son."  And  it  was  not  until 
Suchet  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes  that  it  was  as  she  said  that 
she  would  suffer  Deneux  to  remove  the  child. 

The  marshal  could  not  refrain  from  expressing  the  admira- 
tion with  which  the  princess's  courage  had  inspired  him.  "  The 
son  of  such  a  woman,"  he  exclaimed,  "  cannot  fail  to  be  a  great 
man."3 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Mhnoires. 

2  Nettement,  Mitnoires  sur  Madame,  la  duchesse  de  Bern'. 

3  Souvenirs  du  lieutenant-general  vicomte  de  Reiset.  The  conduct  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  which  aroused  so  much  admiration  in  the  opposite  sex,  was  criticised  by 
certain  members  of  her  own  on  the  ground  of  modesty  ;  and,  in  her  Mitnoires, 
Madame  de  Boigne,  who  had  little  love  for  the  princess,  even  goes  so  far  as  to 
accuse  her  of  "shamelessness,"  and  declares  that  the  reports  upon  her  maternal 
heroism,  combined  with  those  upon  the  trial  of  Queen  Charlotte,  "  made  the  news- 
papers so  disgusting  for  some  days  that  it  was  impossible  to  leave  them  lying  about." 
Most  people,  however,  will  be  inclined  to  agree  with  Marmont,  who,  referring  to 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  183 

Shortly  afterwards,  the  King  and  the  Royal  Family 
arrived  upon  the  scene.  "  God  be  praised  !  "  cried  Louis  XVIII. 
■  You  have  a  son  ! "  And  he  handed  a  magnificent  cluster  of 
diamonds  to  the  mother.  "  That  is  for  you,  and  this  is  for  me," 
he  added,  taking  the  new-born  child  in  his  arms.1  Then,  calling 
for  the  clove  of  garlic  and  the  Jurancon  wine,  he  rubbed  the 
boy's  lips  with  the  one  and  moistened  them  with  a  few  drops  of 
the  other.  The  little  prince  endured  this  ordeal  without  flinch- 
ing. "  He  will  be  as  valiant  as  his  ancestor  Henri  IV.,"  said 
the  King  ;  and  the  duchess  exclaimed  :  "  What  a  pity  that 
I  did  not  know  the  air  of  Jeanne  d'Albret's  chanson !  I  should 
have  had  the  courage  to  sing  it,  and  then  everything  would 
have  been  just  as  it  was  at  the  birth  of  Henri  IV." 

Meanwhile,  the  marshals,  generals,  and  a  number  of  other 
important  persons  had  assembled  in  the  salon,  all  impatience  to 
see  the  little  prince  ;  and  Madame  de  Gontaut,  accompanied  by 
the  witnesses  and  the  great  dignitaries,  carried  her  precious 
charge  to  them.  While  they  were  admiring  him,  the  Due 
d'Orleans,  who  had  been  summoned  from  the  Palais-Royal, 
entered  the  room.  The  birth  of  the  little  prince,  which  seemed 
to  destroy  all  hope  of  the  younger  branch  of  the  Bourbons 
ascending  the  throne,  must  have  been  a  bitter  blow  to  Louis- 
Philippe,  who  could  with  difficulty  dissemble  his  chagrin.  For 
some  moments,  he  regarded  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  attentively, 
and  then,  turning  to  Suchet,  exclaimed  :  "  Monsieur  le  Marshal, 
I  call  upon  you  to  declare  what  you  have  seen.  Is  this  child 
really  the  son  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  ?  "  "  Speak,  Monsieur 
le  Marechal,  tell  him  all  that  you  saw ! "  cried  Madame  de 
Gontaut,  angrily.  The  marshal  testified  most  energetically  to 
the  legitimacy  of  the  child,  and  added  :  "  I  swear  it  on  my 
honour  !  I  am  more  certain  that  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  here 
present,  is  the  child  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  than  I  am  that 
my  son  is  the  child  of  his  mother."  2     After  such  irrefragable 

these  criticisms,  exclaims  :  "  Miserable  objection  !  before  the  interests  of  a  dynasty 
and  the  repose  of  a  nation  such  considerations  should  disappear  ;  and  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  rose  to  the  level  of  circumstances.     She  was  sublime." 

1  Louis  XVIII.  was  here  following  the  tradition  concerning  the  birth  of  Henri  IV., 
according  to  which  the  King  of  Navarre  had  passed  round  his  daughter's  neck  a 
long  gold  chain,  and,  taking  the  boy  in  his  arms,  had  said:  "  Aco  quez  ton,  et  aco 
quez  me." 

2  According  to  Nettement,  Suchet's  answer  was  :  "  I  am  as  certain  he  is  the  son 
of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  as  I  am  that  the  Due  de  Chartres  is  yours."  To  which 
Louis-Philippe  replied  :  "  That  is  quite  sufficient  for  me,  Monsieur  le  Marechal." 


1 84  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

testimony  there  was  no  more  to  be  said,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
a  profound  silence,  Louis-Philippe  departed  to  offer  his  con- 
gratulations to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.1 

At  four  o'clock,  Monseigneur  de  Bombelles,  Bishop  of 
Amiens,  first  almoner  to  the  duchess,  administered  private 
baptism  to  the  little  prince,  and,  half  an  hour  later,  the  King, 
after  again  taking  the  child  in  his  arms,  returned  to  his  apartments, 
and  it  was  announced  that  her  Royal  Highness  would  take  a 
little  repose. 

The  poor  princess's  repose  was  very  speedily  interrupted,  for 
at  five  o'clock  the  cannon  of  the  Invalides  announced  the  glad 
tidings  to  the  city,  and  at  the  discharge  of  the  thirteenth  gun 
thousands  of  persons  rushed  out  into  the  streets  and  hurried 
towards  the  Tuileries.  Soon  an  enormous  crowd  had  collected 
before  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  and  the  cheering  was  so  deafen- 
ing, that  the  King  returned  and,  ordering  the  windows  to  be 
opened,  took  the  little  prince  in  his  arms  and  presented  him  to 
the  people. 

The  enthusiasm  became  indescribable.  Notwithstanding 
the  early  hour,  the  streets  were  thronged  with  joyous  crowds. 
People  sang,  shouted,  and  capered  in  their  delight  ;  total 
strangers  might  be  seen  embracing  one  another ;  flower-sellers 
gave  away  all  the  lilies  in  their  baskets  ;  market-gardeners — 
usually  the  hardest  of  bargainers — made  haste  to  sell  the 
contents  of  their  carts  for  anything  that  they  would  fetch,  in 
order  that  they  might  be  free  to  drive  away  and  carry  the  great 
news  to  the  surrounding  villages.  All  Paris  seemed  to  be 
Royalist  that  day.  Few  unacquainted  with  the  French  cha- 
racter could  have  found  it  possible  to  believe  that  a.  few  hours 
earlier  the  dynasty  which  could  evoke  such  enthusiasm  had 
seemed  tottering  to  its  fall. 

At  six  o'clock,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  gave  orders  that  all 
the  military  who  desired  to  see  her  son  should  be  admitted, 
without  distinction  of  rank.  More  than  five  hundred  officers 
and  soldiers  hastened  to  present  themselves,  and  filed  past  the 
little  duke,  their  naive  observations  greatly  diverting  the 
princess,  who  talked  familiarly  with  several  of  them.  "  Why  am 
I  so  old  ? "  remarked  a  sergeant,  sadly.  "  I  shall  never  serve 
under  his  orders."  "  Console  yourself,  my  friend,"  replied  the 
princess  ;  "  he  will  begin  early."  "  I  wish  that  he  were  eighteen 
1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


A   PRINCESS  OF   ADVENTURE  185 

years  old,"  cried  another,  "  so  that  he  might  pass  us  in  review." 
A  third,  a  grey-moustached  veteran  who  had  fought  for  the 
Bourbons  in  the  Vendeen  wars,  regarded  the  child  in  silence, 
and  solemnly  gave  him  his  blessing. 

At  half-past  ten,  the  marshals  and  the  great  dignitaries 
waited  on  the  King  in  his  cabinet  to  offer  him  their  felicitations. 
At  noon,  a  thanksgiving  service,  which  was  attended  by  Louis 
XVIII.  and  the  Royal  Family,  was  celebrated  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Tuileries,  and  the  Te  Deitm  was  sung.  On  his  return,  his 
Majesty  and  the  princes  stopped  on  the  balcony  of  the  Pavilion 
de  l'Horloge,  where  their  appearance  was  greeted  with 
tremendous  enthusiasm  by  the  vast  crowd  assembled  in  the 
gardens.  Stepping  forward,  Louis  XVIII.  made  a  sign  that  he 
wished  to  speak  to  the  people.  They  understood,  and  in  a  strong 
and  firm  voice  he  addressed  them  as  follows  :  "  My  children, 
your  joy  increases  mine  an  hundredfold.  A  child  is  born  to 
all  of  us.  This  child  will  one  day  be  your  father,  and  will  love 
you  as  I  love  you,  as  all  mine  love  you.  We  are  all  but  one 
family,  and  you  are  all  my  children."  Then,  when  the  shouts 
of  "  Vive  le  Roi  !  "  which  had  greeted  his  words  had  somewhat 
subsided,  he  stretched  out  his  hands,  and  the  crowd,  as  if  impelled 
by  a  single  will,  fell  on  their  knees,  to  receive  his  paternal 
benediction. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan  was  thrown  open 
to  the  public,  and  many  thousands  of  the  good  citizens,  mar- 
shalled in  a  queue,  passed  through  the  apartments  and  admired 
the  little  prince,  who  was  in  the  charge  of  his  nurse.  Afterwards, 
Louis  XVIII.,  holding  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  in  his  arms,  again 
appeared  at  one  of  the  windows,  and  addressed  a  few  words  to 
the  crowd. 

With  the  evening,  the  enthusiasm  reached  its  height.  The 
illuminations,  both  at  the  Tuileries  and  in  the  city,  were  magni- 
ficent, and  even  the  poorest  dwellings  had  contrived  to  contribute 
a  lamp  or  two  or  a  few  humble  candles  towards  the  general 
effect.  Troops  assembled  before  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  and, 
on  behalf  of  the  garrison  of  Paris,  presented  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  with  a  luminous  bouquet,  consisting  of  a  great  number  of 
rockets,  which  were  all  discharged  at  a  given  signal.  "  The 
noise  was  deafening,  and  the  effect  magnificent." 1  The  princess 
who,  during  the  afternoon,  had  wished  to  get  up  in  order  to 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


1 86  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

appear  at  the  window  with  her  son  and  acknowledge  the 
acclamations  of  the  people,  and  had  with  difficulty  been 
dissuaded  by  the  doctors,  insisted  on  her  bed  being  moved  close 
up  to  the  open  casement,  so  that  she  might  watch  the  illumi- 
nations. She  was  delighted  with  the  rockets  and  "  clapped  her 
hands  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  child."  She  seemed  so  excited 
that  one  of  the  doctors  who  was  in  attendance  became  alarmed, 
and  brought  her  a  soothing  draught.  But  she  pushed  it  away, 
and  pointing  to  the  people  below,  who  at  sight  of  her  had 
begun  to  cheer  vociferously  and  wave  their  handkerchiefs,  said, 
smiling  :  "  That  is  the  best  restorative." 

All  the  theatres  were  thronged.  At  the  Comedie-Francaise, 
where  the  company  was  reinforced  by  that  of  the  Opera, 
Athalie  was  performed  with  the  choruses.  The  audience 
recognised  in  the  little  Joas,  "en  q?d  tout  Israel  re'side"  the 
image  of  the  prince  whose  birth  they  were  celebrating,  and 
never  had  Racine's  immortal  work  met  with  a  more  enthusiastic 
reception.  At  all  the  theatres  couplets  appropriate  to  the 
occasion  were  sung,  the  audience  joining  in  the  choruses.  The 
cafes  could  not  contain  the  crowds  which  flocked  to  them  to 
drink  to  the  health  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  ;  and  the  demand  for 
the  wine  of  that  name  was  so  great  that  two  hundred  thousand 
bottles  were  reported  to  have  been  drunk  in  a  single  day. 
Many  of  the  streets  were  converted  into  dancing-booths,  in  which 
dancing  went  on  until  the  early  hours  of  the  following 
morning. 

The  rejoicings  continued  without  interruption  for  days. 
Deputations  from  every  public  body  and  from  every  trade  in 
Paris  waited  upon  the  King  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  offer 
their  felicitations,  not  forgetting  the  market-porters  and  the 
charcoal-burners,  who  performed  dances  for  the  diversion  of  the 
princess  before  the  windows  of  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  and 
were  afterwards  admitted  two  by  two  to  admire  the  "child  of 
miracle,"  as  the  little  prince  had  been  named.  For,  although 
the  birth  of  a  posthumous  son  is  in  no  wise  a  miraculous  event, 
the  Royalists  persisted  in  regarding  that  of  the  Due  de  Bor- 
deaux as  an  intervention  of  Providence  in  the  destiny  of  the 
nation,  as  "a  certain  pledge  of  the  altogether  special  mercy 
which  watches  over  France,"  and  waxed  almost  hysterical  in 
their  jubilation.  One  journal  declared  that  any  one  must  be  an 
atheist  who  refused   to  see  the  finger  of  God  in  the  prince's 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  187 

birth  ;  another  termed  the  boy  the  "  Messias  of  Legitimacy"  ;  a 
third — the  Quotidienne — published  a  probably  imaginary  con- 
versation between  a  lad  and  a  priest,  in  which  the  latter  is  made 
to  say  that,  as  Our  Lord  had  died  on  a  Friday  to  save  the 
world,  He  had  chosen  that  day  for  the  birth  of  the  prince  who 
was  to  save  France  ;  and  a  fourth  apostrophised  his  Royal 
Highness  in  these  terms :  "  August  child,  whose  presence 
dissipates  so  many  sorrows  and  alarms,  thy  coming  was 
revealed  to  thy  mother.  She  alone,  in  the  midst  of  the  general 
anxiety,  showed  iherself  calm  and  confident.  It  is  here 
that  the  protection  of  Heaven  began  to  manifest  itself,"  etc., 
etc.1 

Another  name  which  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  received  was 
that  of  the  "  child  of  Europe,"  which  was  bestowed  upon 
him  by  Monseigneur  Macchi,  the  Papal  Nuncio,  when  the 
Diplomatic  Corps  came  to  the  Tuileries  to  tender  its  felicita- 
tions. "  Sire,"  said  he,  "  this  child  of  sorrows,  of  memories,  and 
of  regrets,  is  also  the  child  of  Europe ;  he  is  the  presage  and 
the  guarantee  of  the  peace  and  repose  which  must  follow  so 
many  agitations."  By  which  he  meant  that  the  birth  of  the 
little  prince  seemed  to  consolidate  the  throne  of  the  Bourbons, 
and  thus  to  put  an  end  to  the  troubles  and  revolutions  which 
had   so  long  distracted  Europe. 

The  poets  and  chansonniers  hastened  to  swell  the  chorus  of 
rejoicing,  and  Victor  Hugo,  Beranger,  and  Lamartine  vied  with 
one  another  in  the  extravagance  of  their  adulation.  They  were, 
however,  easily  surpassed  by  another  bard,  who  published  a 
Latin  ode,  in  which  he  compared  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the 
Virgin  Mary  : 

"  Hcec  ccelo  regi?ia  micat,  tnicat  altera  terris." 

Congratulatory   addresses   and    deputations    arrived    from 

1  yournal  de  Paris,  September  30,  1820.  On  the  other  hand,  the  principal 
organs  of  the  Left,  notably  the  Constitutionnel,  made  little  effort  to  disguise  their 
chagrin.  The  account  of  the  auspicious  event  given  by  the  journal  in  question  on 
September  30  was  very  cold  and  laconic.  It  said  not  a  word  about  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  crowds  at  the  Tuileries  or  of  the  rejoicings  in  the  city,  but  criticised  the  arrange- 
ments made  for  the  maintenance  of  order  at  the  palace,  and  stated  that  "  a  company 
of  the  Swiss  Guards  had  been  stationed  before  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan  to  ensure  the 
repose  [i.e.  safety]  of  the  princess."  To  atone  for  what  it  styled  the  "perfidious 
reticence  "  of  its  contemporary,  the  Jourtialdes  D'ebats  of  the  following  day  consecrated 
the  whole  of  its  front  page  to  a  verbatim  account  of  the  official  depositions  made  by 
the  doctors,  accoucheuse,  and  other  witnesses  of  the  birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux, 
which  left  very  little  to  the  imagination  of  its  readers. 


1 88  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

every  corner  of  the  kingdom.1  Presents  flowed  in  from  all 
sides.  Every  town  and  village  in  France  gave  itself  up  to 
rejoicing,  and  the  festivities  at  Bordeaux  almost  rivalled  in 
magnificence  those  of  the  capital.  The  King,  delighted  by  the 
public  enthusiasm,  bestowed  honours,  amnesties,  and  favours  with 
a  lavish  hand.  No  less  than  thirty-four  cordons  bleus  were  dis- 
tributed, the  recipients  including  six  of  Napoleon's  marshals, 
Macdonald,  Marmont,  Moncey,  Oudinot,  Suchet,  and  Victor ; 
a  number  of  persons  undergoing  imprisonment  for  debt  were  set 
at  liberty  ;  his  Majesty  gave  a  sum  of  150,000  francs  to  discharge 
the  debts  owing  by  indigent  fathers  and  mothers  to  the  nursing 
bureau  ;  charged  himself  with  the  expense  of  monthly  nurses 
for  all  male  children  of  poor  parents  born  in  Paris  on  the  same 
day  as  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  and  contributed  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  francs  towards  the  education  of  each  of  them. 

1  Among  the  provincial  delegates  was  a  patriarch  of  one  hundred  and  sixteen,  who 
had  been  a  boy  of  ten  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  le  Grand  Monarque.  "  I  have  had 
the  good  fortune  to  see  eight  generations  of  the  Bourbons,"  said  he,  as  he  gave  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux  his  blessing.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  offered  him  a  glass  of  the 
Jurancon  wine,  and  presented  him  with  a  commemorative  medal. 


CHAPTER   XV 

Appearance  of  a  libel,  under  the  name  of  the  Due  d'Orleans,  declaring  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux  to  be  a  supposititious  child — The  Due  d'Orleans  hastens  to  disavow  any 
connection  with  this  publication — New  popularity  of  the  Monarchy— The  Chateau  of 
Chambord  purchased  by  public  subscription  and  presented  to  the  little  prince,  in  the 
name  of  the  nation — The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  notwithstanding  the  birth  of  her  son, 
continues  to  feel  very  keenly  the  loss  of  her  husband — Baptism  of  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux — An  alarming  incident — The  baptismal  fetes — Pilgrimage  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  to  Notre-Dame  de  Liesse. 

THE  birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  which  seemed  to 
assure  for  ever  the  Crown  of  France  to  the  elder 
branch  of  the  Bourbons,  was  too  important  an  event 
for  the  passions  which  it  wounded  and  the  calculations  which  it  dis- 
concerted not  to  endeavour  to  throw  doubts  upon  its  legitimacy. 
"It  is  true,"  observes  Nettement,  "that  this  birth,  which  had 
taken  place  under  the  eyes  of  witnesses  drawn  from  every  class 
of  society,  is  the  most  authentic  fact  of  modern  history.  But 
passions  are  blind,  and  the  blind  deny  the  authenticity  of  the 
sun."  1 

Evidence  of  this  was  very  speedily  forthcoming.  A 
pamphlet  was  printed  in  England,  in  which  the  writer,  who  had 
the  audacity  to  borrow  the  name  of  no  less  a  person  than  the 
Due  d'Orleans,  drew  attention  to  the  unusual,  and,  in  his 
opinion,  highly  suspicious  circumstances  in  which  the  event  had 
taken  place,  and  declared  that  they  all  pointed  to  a  shameful 
conspiracy  to  foist  upon  the  French  nation  a  supposititious  child. 

An  attempt  to  import  copies  of  this  pamphlet  into  France 
was  frustrated  by  the  vigilance  of  the  police,  who  had  received 
timely  warning  of  its  publication ;  but  the  Morning  Chronicle, 
a  journal  which  had  a  very  pronounced  weakness  for  sensational 
matter,  hastened  to  reproduce  it,  and,  through  this  medium,  the 
libel  succeeded  in  reaching  Paris. 

The  Due  d'Orleans,  highly  indignant  at  the  use  which  had 

1  Memoir es  sur  Madame,  la  duchesse  de  Berri. 
189 


190  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

been  made  of  his  name,  lost  not  a  moment  in  seeking  an 
audience  of  the  King,  in  order  to  exculpate  himself.  He  met, 
as  might  be  expected,  with  a  most  frigid  reception  ;  but  he 
protested  with  so  much  energy  against  any  suspicion  of  his 
complicity  in  this  disgraceful  publication  that  Louis  XVIII.  felt 
obliged  to  express  his  belief  in  his  kinsman's  sincerity.  Never- 
theless, the  incident  did  not  tend  to  increase  the  favour  with 
which  the  duke  was  regarded  in  Court  circles. 

The  appearance  of  this  libel  was  not  the  only  discordant 
note  in  the  concert  of  adulations  which  was  going  on  round  the 
cradle  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux.  There  were  some,  even  among 
the  supporters  of  the  Restoration,  who  believed  that  its  only 
chance  of  permanency  lay  in  the  extinction  of  the  reigning 
branch  of  the  Bourbons  and  the  passing  of  the  Crown  to  the 
Orleans  family.  Madame  de  Boigne  tells  us  that  Pozzo  di 
Borgo,  on  hearing  the  joy-bells  ringing,  exclaimed  that  they 
were  tolling  the  death-knell  of  the  House  of  Bourbon  ; 1  a 
similar  remark  is  attributed  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ;  and 
the  Comte  de  Lally  wrote  to  Decazes  :  "  I  am  daily  more 
inclined  to  doubt  whether  it  (the  birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux) 
is  the  combination  most  desirable  for  France,  for  the  Monarchy, 
and  for  this  dynasty  which  is  so  dear  to  us  ;  whether  the  birth 
of  a  princess,  who  might  have  been  betrothed  in  her  cradle  to 
that  admirably-trained  prince  (the  Due  de  Chartres),  would  not 
have  been  more  advantageous  to  these  great  interests,  more 
calculated  to  settle  minds,  to  consolidate  the  Charter,  to  dissipate 
gloom,  and  to  render  conciliation  necessary.  The  turn  affairs 
are  taking  gives  room  for  fear  lest  new  discords  may  issue  from 
this  cradle  which  was  to  be  the  ark  of  the  Covenant  and  the 
symbol  of  re-union."  2 

However,  the  forebodings  of  clear-sighted  men  such  as  these 
were  shared  by  comparatively  few.  For  the  moment,  the 
popular  agitation  had  subsided  as  if  by  magic,  the  threatening 
clouds  had  disappeared,  and  the  prospect  seemed  so  fair  that 
the  Royalists  might  well  have  been  excused  their  jubilation. 
Yet,  had  they  paused  to  reflect,  they  might  have  recognised  that 
this  new-found  popularity  of  the  Bourbons— a  popularity  based 
on  no  surer  foundation  than  sympathy  for  a  young  widow  and 
a  child  who  would  never  know  a  father's  care — could  not  from 

1  Comtesse  de  Boigne,  Mbnoires. 

2  Cited  by   Imbert   de   Saint-Amand,   la    Duchesse  de    Berry  el  la    Cour    de 
Louis  XVIII. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  191 

its  very  nature  be  permanent,  unless  it  were  nourished  and 
sustained  by  a  sincere  effort  to  reconcile  the  Monarchy  with  the 
opinions  held  by  the  bulk  of  the  nation  ;  and  that,  in  default  of 
such  effort,  the  reaction  which  must  surely  follow  would  be  the 
more  violent  now  that  the  continuance  of  the  reigning  dynasty 
seemed  assured. 

While  the  popular  enthusiasm  was  still  almost  at  its  height, 
a  proposal  was  made  that  the  Chateau  of  Chambord  should  be 
purchased  by  public  subscription  and  presented  to  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  on  behalf  of  the  nation. 

This  superb  residence — one  of  the  glories  of  Renaissance 
architecture — where  Francois  I.  had  received  Charles  V.  on  the 
great  Emperor's  visit  to  France  in  1539;  which  had  witnessed 
the  first  representations  of  two  of  Moliere's  most  delightful 
comedies,  Monsieur  de  Pourceaugnac  (1669),  and  le  Bourgeois 
gentilhomme  (1670)  ;  which  had  served  as  an  asylum  for 
the  ex-King  of  Poland,  Stanislaus  Leczinski,  and  which  had 
been  the  reward  of  Maurice  de  Saxe's  victories  in  Flanders, 
had,  at  the  Revolution,  become  national  property,  and  had 
shared  the  fate  of  all  the  royal  residences.  The  beautiful 
chapel  which  Stanislaus  Leczinski  had  built  was  mutilated 
and  defaced  ;  the  sumptuous  furniture  sold  to  the  second- 
hand dealers  of  the  neighbourhood  ;  the  magnificent  Arras 
and  Gobelin  tapestries  which  decorated  the  apartments  of 
Frangois  I.  were  burned,  for  the  sake  of  the  gold  and  silver 
they  contained ;  the  very  lead  was  stripped  from  the  roof. 
In  1809,  Napoleon  made  a  present  of  Chambord  to  Marechal 
Berthier,  Prince  de  Wagram,  who,  however,  had  neither  the  will 
nor  the  means  to  undertake  the  cost  of  its  restoration,  and,  in 
1 819,  his  widow  obtained  from  Louis  XVIII.  a  decree  authorising 
her  to  sell  it  Then  that  society  of  ruthless  speculators  known 
as  the  Black  Band  marked  it  as  their  prey,  and  the  chateau  was 
about  to  disappear  under  the  pick  of  the  demolisher,  when  the 
Comte  Adrien  de  Calonne,  who  happened  to  visit  it  in  the 
course  of  a  journey  to  the  West  of  France,  conceived  the  idea 
of  preventing  this  act  of  vandalism  by  acquiring  it  for  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux. 

From  the  antiquarian  point  of  view,  the  proposal  had  much 
to  recommend  it ;  but,  from  that  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  it  was 
not  a  little  absurd,  seeing  that  by  the  time  the  little  prince  was 
old  enough  to  require  a  country-residence  of  his  own,  he  would 


i92  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

very  likely  have  ascended  the  throne,  when  all  the  Crown 
chateaux  would  be  at  his  disposal.  Moreover,  Chambord  was 
situated  at  a  distance  from  the  Court,  and  the  cost  of  its  restora- 
tion and  maintenance  would  be  very  heavy.  For  which  reasons 
Louis  XVIII.  received  the  proposition  somewhat  coldly,  while 
it  was  severely  criticised  by  the  Opposition,  and  furnished  Louis 
Courrier  with  material  for  one  of  his  most  mordant  pamphlets. 
However,  it  was  taken  up  with  enthusiasm  by  the  Royalists, 
both  in  the  capital  and  in  the  provinces,  and,  the  King  having 
been  persuaded  to  yield  to  the  wishes  of  the  public,  the  money 
required  was  quickly  subscribed  ;  and  on  March  5,  182 1,  Cham- 
bord was  purchased  at  auction  for  1,542,000  francs,  independent 
of  costs,  and  presented  "  in  the  name  of  France  "  to  the  little 
prince,  who  was,  many  years  later,  to  take  from  it  the  title  by 
which  he  is  known  to  history. 

Notwithstanding  the  consolations  which  the  birth  of  her 
little  son  had  brought  her,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  continued  to 
feel  most  keenly  the  loss  of  her  husband,  and  her  journal,  which 
stops  abruptly  on  the  day  of  the  duke's  assassination,  and  is 
not  resumed  until  the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  contains 
abundant  proof  of  the  sincerity  of  her  grief.  Here,  for  instance, 
is  one  of  several  pathetic  passages  which  have  been  published 
by  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  in  his  admirable  monograph  on  the 
princess  : — 

"  1  January,  1821. — At  half-past  nine,  I  repair  with  Louise 
[Mademoiselle]  in  a  carriage  to  the  apartments  of  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme,  where  Henri  [the  Due  de  Bordeaux]  arrives,  in  a 
sedan-chair,  in  the  arms  of  Madame  de  Gontaut.  At  ten  o'clock, 
we  go  up  to  the  apartments  of  the  King,  who  gives  the  children 
superb  presents.  After  their  departure,  I  remain  to  breakfast 
with  the  King.  But  how  painful  for  me,  and  how  different  from 
other  years,  has  this  breakfast  been  !  My  Charles  was  no  longer 
there,  and,  nevertheless,  everything  served  to  remind  me  of  hirn. 
Every  minute  I  imagined  that  I  perceived  him  smiling  kindly 
at  me  from  the  other  end  of  the  table.  I  kept  turning  my  head, 
only  to  find  that  he  was  no  longer  in  his  place !  My  heart  was 
breaking,  the  tears  came  into  my  eyes,  and,  in  spite  of  myself,  I 
burst  out  crying." 

To  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  she  had, 
some  time  before  the  birth  of  the  little  prince,  expressed  a  wish 
that,  if  she  bore  a  son,  his  entourage  should  be  composed  of  the 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  193 

same  persons  who  had  formed  that  of  his  father.  To  this  the 
King  had  readily  consented,  and  on  the  very  day  on  which  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux  came  into  the  world,  Monsieur  had  sent  for 
all  these  gentlemen,  and  announced  to  them  that  they  were  to 
resume  about  the  person  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  the  functions 
which  they  had  exercised  in  the  deceased  prince's  Household. 
"  And  I  am  very  sure,"  he  added,  "  that  you  will  be  as  tenderly 
attached  to  the  son  as  you  were  to  the  father." 

For  many  years  to  come,  of  course,  these  functions  would 
be  purely  honorary,  and  both  the  little  prince  and  his  sister 
would  remain  under  the  control  of  Madame  de  Gontaut,  gouver- 
nante  of  the  Children  of  France.  In  order  to  relieve  that 
energetic  lady  of  a  part  of  the  increased  responsibility  which 
the  arrival  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  had  brought  upon  her,  a 
sous-gouvernante,  the  Marquise  de  Foresta,  was  appointed. 
But,  as  the  marchioness's  sight  was  "  so  bad  that  neither  eye- 
glass nor  spectacles  were  of  the  least  use  to  her,"  she  proved 
more  of  a  hindrance  than  an  assistance.  However,  there  she 
was,  and  there  she  evidently  intended  to  remain  ;  and  Madame 
de  Gontaut  had  accordingly  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation. 

The  baptism  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  took  place  at  Notre- 
Dame,  on  May  1,  1821,  with  the  greatest  magnificence.  At 
noon,  the  royal  procession,  which  consisted  of  thirty  carriages, 
set  out  from  the  Tuileries,  and  proceeded  to  the  cathedral  by 
way  of  the  Place  du  Carrousel,  the  Quai  du  Louvre,  the  Quai 
de  l'Ecole,  the  Pont-Neuf,  the  Quai  des  Orfevres,  the  Rue 
March6-Neuf,  and  the  Rue  Neuve-Notre-Dame.  The  carriage 
of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  drawn  by  eight  magnificent  horses 
and  escorted  by  the  pages  and  the  heralds-at-arms,  headed  the 
procession.  The  little  prince  was  carried  by  Madame  de 
Gontaut,  while  Madame  de  Foresta  had  charge  of  Mademoiselle. 
The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  rode 
in  the  King's  carriage.  An  immense  and  enthusiastic  crowd 
thronged  the  streets  and  squares  along  the  route,  and  all  the 
windows  were  decorated  with  white  banners  spangled  with  the 
fleurs-de-lis. 

At  the  door  of  the  cathedral,  the  King  was  received  by 
Mgr.  de  Quelen,  coadjutor  of  the  Cardinal  de  Perigord,  the 
aged  Archbishop  of  Paris,  whose  infirmities  obliged  him  to 
remain  in  an  armchair  at  the  foot  of  the  altar.  The  coadjutor 
harangued  his  Majesty,  according  to  custom,  and  presented  the 


i94  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

holy  water.  The  procession  then  advanced  up  the  nave.  The 
Marquis  de  Dreux-Breze,  Grand  Master  of  the  Ceremonies,  led 
the  way ;  next  came  Madame  de  Gontaut,  holding  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  so  that  every  one  might  see  him,  and  then  the  King, 
surrounded  by  the  princes  and  princesses.  The  old  monarch, 
now  so  crippled  by  the  gout  that  he  could  only  walk  a  few 
steps,  occupied  an  armchair  on  wheels.  The  immense  edifice 
presented  a  dazzling  spectacle.  All  the  pillars  were  draped 
with  gold  and  silver  gauze,  and  the  tribunes  were  filled  with 
ladies  en  grande  parure  and  men  in  uniform.  The  King,  having 
been  conducted  to  his  prie-Dieu,  which  had  been  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  choir,  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  intoned  the  Veni 
Creator,  after  which  a  low  Mass  was  celebrated  by  the  coadjutor 
and  the  Te  Deum  sung.  Then  the  princes  and  princesses  of  the 
Royal  Family  and  of  the  Blood  advanced  to  the  steps  of  the 
altar,  and  the  archbishop  proceeded  to  baptize  the  little  prince, 
who  received  the  names  of  Henri  Charles  Ferdinand  Dieudonne. 
Monsieur  represented  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  the  god- 
father, and  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  replaced  the  Duchess  of 
Calabria,  Hereditary  Princess  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  as  godmother. 

The  baptism  concluded,  Madame  de  Gontaut  mounted  the 
altar-steps,  and  laid  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  thereon  for  a  moment. 
Then  she  raised  him  in  her  arms  and  presented  him  to  the 
assembly,  who  greeted  him  with  loud  acclamations.  On 
descending,  she  handed  the  child  to  his  mother,  who  clasped 
him  to  her  breast,  "  her  countenance  displaying  the  most  lively 
emotion,  which  was  shared  by  all  present." x 

The  Archbishop  of  Paris  then  addressed  the  King,  declaring 
that  "  Religion  confided  this  royal  infant  to  his  Majesty,  to  be 
taught,  by  his  lessons  and  examples,  what  the  Church  had  the 
right  to  expect  from  a  Very  Christian  King."  And  the  King, 
in  his  response,  "  begged  the  archbishop  and  all  the  clergy  of 
France  to  pray  that  the  little  prince's  life  might  be  consecrated 
to  the  welfare  of  France  and  the  glory  of  their  holy  religion."  * 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  religious  ceremony,  the  baptismal 
certificate  was  drawn  up,  and  signed  by  the  King,  the  princes 
and  princesses,  the  grand  officers  of  the  Crown,  and  the  members 
of  the  Corps  municipal,  and  at  three  o'clock  the  cortege  returned 
to  the  Tuileries  in  the  same  order. 

The  return  journey,  however,  did  not  pass  off  without  a  very 

1  Journal  de  Paris,  May  2,  1 82 1. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  195 

unpleasant  incident,  which  showed  that  the  passions  which  had 
sought  to  prevent  the  little  prince's  arrival  in  the  world  were 
still  active. 

As  Madame  de  Gontaut  and  her  charge  were  leaving  the 
Tuileries  for  Notre-Dame,  a  man  approached  the  carriage, 
handed  the  gouvernante  a  letter,  and  immediately  disappeared. 
Madame  de  Gontaut  opened  it,  and  read  as  follows  : — 

"  Urgent  and  important.  Be  on  your  guard  when  you  approach 
the  Pont-Neuf,  where  there  is  to  be  a  halt,  and  then  take  care  of 
the  prince." 

Much  alarmed,  Madame  de  Gontaut  called  the  officer  of  the 
Guards  in  command  of  the  escort,  and  handed  him  the  note, 
saying,  "  This  concerns  you."  The  officer  read  it,  and,  laying 
his  hand  on  his  sword,  replied  confidently,  "  You  need  have  no 
fear." 

Madame  de  Gontaut,  however,  was  far  from  reassured,  and 
the  nearer  the  procession  approached  the  Pont-Neuf,  the  more 
anxious  did  she  become.  The  halt  at  the  bridge  was  to  allow 
the  market-women  to  present  a  bouquet  to  the  Due  de  Bordeaux, 
and  to  deliver  an  address  to  the  King,  "during  which,"  says 
the  gouvernante,  "  I  held  Monseigneur  close  to  my  heart,  which 
was  beating  violently,  and  gave  these  ladies  a  view  of  my  broad 
shoulders."  However,  the  critical  moment  passed  without  any 
occasion  for  alarm. 

Nothing,  in  point  of  fact,  happened  until  the  end  of  the 
return  journey,  at  the  moment  when  the  carriage  containing  the 
little  prince  was  entering  the  courtyard  of  the  Tuileries. 

"  As  the  officer  of  the  Guards,"  writes  Madame  de  Gontaut, 
"  was  unable  to  pass  under  the  wicket  at  the  same  time  as  the 
carriage  without  running  the  risk  of  being  crushed,  I  had  placed 
myself,  as  was  my  custom,  in  the  middle  of  the  carriage-window, 
in  order  to  protect  Monseigneur,  when  I  received  a  blow  on  the 
shoulder  which  made  me  jump.  I  put  up  my  hand,  and  when 
I  withdrew  it,  there  was  a  blood-stain  on  my  glove.  Delighted  at 
having  saved  Monseigneur  by  my  precautions,  I  said,  loftily : 
'  I  am  wounded  ;  he  is  saved  ! '  And  I  added,  laughing :  '  I 
shall  have  the  cross  of  Saint-Louis  ;  that  is  the  object  of  my 
ambition.' 

"  On  alighting  at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  I  had  a  search 
made  for  the  object  that  had  struck  me.  They  found  an 
unsigned  petition,  written  on  parchment,  rolled  up  into  the  form 


196  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

of  a  horn,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  small  and  very  sharp  piece 
of  iron.  The  woman  who  threw  it  had  been  observed,  but,  as 
this  method  of  presenting  placets  was  customary,  no  attention 
had  been  paid  to  it." 

Splendid  fetes  followed  the  baptism  of  the  little  prince.  At 
night,  the  whole  city  was  illuminated  ;  the  display  of  fireworks 
was  magnificent,  and  more  than  ten  thousand  packets  of  bonbons 
were  distributed  among  the  enthusiastic  crowds.  On  the  follow- 
ing day,  the  Municipal  Council  gave  a  grand  fete  at  the  Hotel  de 
Ville,  which  was  attended  by  Monsieur,  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  It  began  with  a 
banquet  in  the  Salle  Saint-Jean,  which  was  followed  by  an 
intermede,  the  words  of  which  were  by  Alissan  de  Chazet  and  the 
music  by  Berton  and  Boi'eldieu  ;  transparencies  representing 
the  Due  de  Bordeaux  lying  as  in  a  cradle  in  the  vessel  of  the 
Arms  of  Paris,  the  triumphal  arrival  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at 
Marseilles,  in  1816,  and  a  view  of  Palermo,  where  her  girlhood 
had  been  passed  ;  cantatas  executed  by  the  combined  forces  of 
the  Opera  and  the  Opera-Comique,  and  a  ball,  to  which  five 
thousand  invitations  had  been  issued  and  which  did  not  terminate 
until  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

On  the  following  day,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  with  Monsieur 
and  her  children,  made  a  sort  of  triumphal  progress  through  the 
principal  streets  of  the  capital,  in  an  open  calash,  being  every- 
where received  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm.  On  the  4th  and  5th, 
there  were  gala  performances  in  the  theatre  of  the  Tuileries,  and, 
on  the  6th,  the  rejoicings  terminated  with  a  magnificent  fete  at 
the  Odeon,  given  by  the  general  officers  of  the  garrison  of  Paris, 
which  consisted  of  a  play  written  for  the  occasion,  a  cantata 
entitled  Dieu  Va  donne",  a  ball,  and  "  an  excellent  and  abundant 
supper."  The  front  of  the  boxes  was  hung  with  silver  gauze, 
sewn  with  the  crosses  of  Saint-Louis  and  the  Legion  of  Honour, 
and  weapons  and  flags  were  displayed  on  all  sides.  Every  one 
of  the  four  thousand  guests  present  was  loud  in  praise  of  the 
splendid  hospitality  of  their  hosts,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
gallant  officers  scarcely  deserved  the  congratulations  which 
were  so  freely  showered  upon  them.  Their  enthusiasm  for  the 
Royal  Family,  it  would  appear,  stopped  short  of  putting  their 
hands  in  their  pockets ;  and  Marechal  Marmont,  the  military 
o-overnor  of  Paris,  who  had  conceived  the  idea  of  the  fete,  had 
experienced    considerable    difficulty   in    persuading    them    to 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  197 

consent  to  it.  Learning  of  this,  the  King  had  offered  to  bear 
half  the  expense,  in  his  capacity  as  Colonel-General  of  the 
Guard,  and  the  officers  of  his  Household  had  also  contributed,  so 
that  all  that  was  required  of  the  parsimonious  generals  was  one 
day's  pay.1 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had 
vowed  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  Notre-Dame  de  Liesse  in 
the  event  of  her  bearing  a  son,  and  on  May  20,  accompanied  by 
her  almoner,  Mgr.  de  Bombelles,  and  a  numerous  suite,  she  left 
Paris  to  accomplish  it.  On  the  22nd,  she  arrived  at  Laon,  where 
all  the  population  of  the  neighbourhood  had  congregated  to 
welcome  her.  The  whole  city  was  draped  with  white  flags,  and 
the  enthusiasm  was  tremendous.  The  prefect  and  the  municipal 
authorities  received  her  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  which  crowns  the 
town.  The  princess  entered  an  open  carriage,  and  having 
reviewed  the  cuirassiers  of  the  Regiment  de  Berry,  who  were 
quartered  at  Laon,  drove  to  the  Prefecture,  where  she  received 
several  deputations,  including  one  from  Saint-Quentin,  which 
came  to  present  her  with  cambrics  and  other  products  of  the 
industries  of  that  town.  After  having  visited  the  celebrated 
cathedral,  the  duchess  continued  her  journey  to  Liesse,  where 
she  arrived  at  seven  o'clock  the  same  evening.  "  She  went  at 
once  to  the  parish-church  to  hear  Mass  and  receive  Communion," 
writes  one  who  was  present.  "  Twenty  young  girls  performed 
the  same  duty.  The  princess  was  dressed  in  a  simple  white 
gown,  with  a  veil  on  her  head.  After  communicating,  she  knelt 
down  again  at  her  prie-Dieu,  which  was  placed  in  the  middle  of 
the  choir.  There  she  was  again  assailed  by  the  memory  of 
her  eternal  sorrow,  and  her  tears  flowed  freely.  All  who  were 
in  the  church  were  as  deeply  moved  as  she.  The  spectacle  of 
a  young  princess,  widowed  by  an  atrocious  crime,  weeping  at 
the  foot  of  the  altar  for  the  object  of  her  affection,  returning 
thanks  to  Heaven  for  the  consolation  it  had  accorded  her,  and 
imploring  for  her  son  the  protection  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
was  the  most  striking  and  the  most  affecting  that  can  be 
conceived." 2 

Before   returning   to  Paris,  the  Duchesse  de    Berry  visited 
several  places  of  interest  in  the  neighbourhood,  including  the 

1  Memoires  du  Marechal  Marmont. 

2  Letter  of  the  Marquis  de  Montreton  to  the  Baron  de  Fremilly,  in  Imbert  de 
Saint- Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de  Louis  XVIII. 


198  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

ruins  of  the  ancient  chateau  of  Courcy  and  the  mirror  manu- 
factory at  Saint-Gobain.  It  was  in  the  course  of  her  visit  to  the 
manufactory,  where  a  mirror  was  made  specially  for  her,  that  one 
of  the  workmen  perpetrated  a  pun  which  had  a  great  success. 
"  Tout  est  de  glace  ici,  Madame"  said  he,  " tout  excepte  nos 
cceursT  x 

1  The  word  dace  is  used  to  denote  both  mirror  and  ice. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  resumes  the  habits  of  the  early  days  of  her  married  life — 
Kindness  and  generosity  of  the  princess — Method  which  she  adopts  to  extend  her 
patronage  as  widely  as  possible  among  the  tradespeople  of  the  capital — Her  visit  to 
Mont  Dore — She  begins  to  entertain  again  at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan — The  Bourbons 
triumphant  in  Naples  and  Spain,  as  well  as  in  France — Situation  at  the  Tuileries — 
Louis  XVIII.  and  his  favourites — Madame  du  Cayla — Her  history — Sosthene  de 
la  Rochefoucauld  urges  her  "  to  essay  the  role  of  Esther  to  the  Ahasuerus  of 
Louis  XVIII." — Her  first  interview  with  the  King — Infatuation  of  Louis  XVIII. 
for  her — He  presents  her  with  the  Pavilion  of  Saint-Ouen — Influence  which  she 
exercises  over  the  King — Her  relations  with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — Visit  of  the 
duchess  to  Dieppe — Her  reception — Her  first  "dip" — Illness  of  Louis  XVIII. — 
Heroic  fortitude  of  the  King,  who,  despite  his  sufferings,  continues  to  discharge  his 
official  duties — Madame  du  Cayla  persuades  him  to  send  for  his  confessor — Adminis- 
tration of  the  Sacraments — Death  of  Louis  XVIII. 

THE  time  had  now  arrived  for  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to 
resume  the  habits  of  the  early  days  of  her  married 
life — the  dinners  with  the  King  and  the  other 
members  of  the  Royal  Family,  the  evening  parties  in  the 
Duchesse  d' Angouleme's  apartments,  her  weekly  receptions,  and 
all  her  Court  duties.  Remembering  how  anxious  her  husband 
had  been  that  she  should  cultivate  a  taste  for  serious  occupation, 
she  also  re-engaged  the  masters  and  professors  whom  he  had 
recommended  to  her,  and  a  part  of  her  mornings  was  always 
set  apart  for  lessons  in  music,  painting,  drawing,  or  modern 
languages.  Her  talent  for  music,  Madame  de  Gontaut  tells  us, 
was  really  remarkable,  for,  though  she  did  not  know  a  note,  she 
possessed  a  wonderful  ear,  and  an  air  once  heard  was  never 
forgotten.1 

Under  an  appearance  perhaps  a  little  frivolous,  the  princess 
had  concealed  sterling  qualities.  These  had  been  revealed  in 
her  by  the  sufferings  which  she  had  experienced.  Knowing 
what  sorrow  was  herself,  she  could  feel  for  the  misfortunes  of 
others,  and  her  kindness  and  generosity  were  beyond  all  praise. 
She  dispensed  very  large  sums  in  charity  ;  she  was  accessible  to 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Mbnoires. 
1 99 


200  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

every  one  ;  she  read  carefully  every  petition  that  was  presented 
to  her,  and,  if  she  deemed  it  worthy  of  her  interest,  did  all  in  her 
power  to  assure  its  success.  Aware  of  the  immense  importance 
attached  by  the  tradesmen  of  Paris  to  the  royal  patronage,  and 
that  a  visit  from  one  of  the  princesses  was  often  sufficient  to 
confer  a  sort  of  brevet  of  elegance  and  ban  ton  upon  even  a  com- 
paratively humble  establishment,  she  was  at  pains  to  distribute 
hers  as  widely  as  possible,  and  scarcely  a  day  passed  without 
her  entering  several  shops  and  making  numerous  purchases.  As, 
however,  it  was,  of  course,  impossible  for  her  to  pay  every 
establishment  where  her  presence  was  solicited  a  personal  visit, 
she  found  means  to  console  the  tradespeople  whom  she  was 
compelled  to  neglect  by  sending  her  carriage  to  stand  before 
their  doors.  The  sight  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  well-known 
blue  liveries  outside  a  shop  often  proved  as  valuable  an  adver- 
tisement for  the  proprietor  as  if  her  Royal  Highness  herself 
had  been  within,  and  many  a  worthy  tradesman  struggling  to 
establish  a  fashionable  connection  had  reason  to  bless  the 
princess's  thoughtfulness. 

We  can  scarcely  wonder  that  a  young  princess  whose  only 
object  seemed  to  be  to  please  should  have  enjoyed  an  immense 
popularity.  This  popularity  was  far  from  being  confined  to  the 
Parisians.  Wherever  she  appeared,  indeed,  her  tact  and  affability 
seemed  to  have  gained  all  hearts.  When,  early  in  September 
1 82 1,  she  went  to  Mont  Dore,  in  Auvergne,  to  drink  the  waters, 
she  delighted  the  people  by  assuming  the  dress  of  an  Auvergnat 
peasant — flannel  chemise,  short  skirt,  worsted  stockings,  a  long 
veil  for  the  face,  and  a  shawl  to  cover  the  head — and  riding  on 
horseback  along  the  dangerous  mountain-paths.  Her  ladies  had 
perforce  to  follow  her  example,  not  a  little  to  their  disgust,  for 
flannel  chemises  and  abbreviated  skirts  were  not  a  kind  of  attire 
to  appeal  very  forcibly  to  a  fashionable  dame  who  patronised 
the  ateliers  of  Leroy,  nor  were  the  very  indifferent  steeds  pro- 
vided for  their  use  calculated  to  reassure  an  inexperienced 
horsewoman.  When,  in  the  course  of  an  expedition  to  the 
Chateau  de  Murol,  poor  Madame  de  Bouille  found  herself  lying 
in  the  road  for  the  third  time  that  morning ;  and  when,  on  the 
following  day,  she  and  Madame  de  Casteja  had  the  misfortune 
to  encounter  a  swarm  of  wasps,  and  their  steeds,  resenting  the 
attention  of  these  vindictive  insects,  threatened  to  bolt  with 
them  into  Lac  de  Guerri,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  both  ladies 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  201 

must  have  felt  that  the  coveted  post  of  dame  pour  accompagner 
to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  its  drawbacks. 

At  the  end  of  September,  the  princess  returned  to  Paris, 
where,  greatly  to  the  satisfaction  of  Society,  she  reopened  her 
salons  and  began  to  entertain  again  in  a  quiet  way.  The  little 
parties  she  gave  were  greatly  appreciated,  for  they  presented 
a  pleasing  contrast  to  those  of  her  sister-in-law,  which  always 
had  about  them  a  political  flavour.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry 
very  rightly  considered  that  politics  do  not  make  for  gaiety, 
and,  at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  they  were  rigorously  tabooed, 
and  the  conversation  was  all  of  Art,  the  theatre,  or  the  toilette. 
The  princess,  indeed,  had  a  gentle  way  of  intimating  that  she 
had  no  room  for  bores  in  her  salon,  and,  if  by  chance  any  of 
her  guests  were  so  ill-advised  as  to  embark  upon  a  political 
discussion,  she  would  interrupt  them  by  placing  a  finger  to 
her  lips. 

In  these  closing  years  of  Louis  XVIII. 's  reign,  it  seemed  as 
though  Fortune,  repenting  of  having  tried  the  young  princess 
so  cruelly,  was  reserving  for  her  her  choicest  smiles.  The 
mother  of  two  healthy  and  charming  children,  beloved  by  her 
relatives,  popular  with  the  Court,  adored  by  the  people,  every- 
thing contributed  to  console  her  for  the  irreparable  loss  she 
had  sustained  ;  nothing  seemed  to  indicate  that  the  future  held 
for  her  yet  further  trials.  Everywhere  the  Bourbons  were 
triumphant.  At  Naples,  her  grandfather  Ferdinand  I.  was, 
by  the  aid  of  an  Austrian  army,  replaced  upon  the  throne  of 
the  Two  Sicilies.  In  France,  the  insurrection  of  the  Carbonari 
in  the  West  was  suppressed  without  difficulty,  and  the  Restora- 
tion seemed  so  firmly  established  that  the  Government  was 
able  to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  the  Spanish  Bourbons  ;  and, 
as  the  result  of  the  Due  d'Angouleme's  military  promenade 
across  the  Pyrenees,  Ferdinand  VII.  returned  from  his  virtual 
imprisonment  at  Cadiz  to  Madrid,  and  ruled  for  the  rest  of  his 
worthless  life  as  the  most  absolute  of  sovereigns. 

Very  singular  was  the  situation  at  the  Tuileries  during  this 
period.  The  dissensions,  the  stormy  scenes,  between  Louis 
XVIII.  and  his  relatives  were  things  of  the  past.  No  longer 
did  Madame  sulk  and  Monsieur  fume;  no  longer  did  the 
angry  tones  of  his  Majesty's  sonorous  voice  resound  through 
the  palace.  Harmony  complete  and  permanent  had  been  re- 
established in  that  august  circle.     Little  by  little,  the  old  King, 


202  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

who  had  once  so  jealously  guarded  his  authority  from  any 
encroachment  on  the  part  of  his  family,  was  surrendering  it  to 
his  brother ;  little  by  little,  a  reactionary  policy  was  succeeding 
the  Liberalism  of  the  Decazes  regime.  It  was  a  woman  who 
had  brought  this  about — a  woman,  who,  in  the  words  of  one 
of  her  admirers,  had  "despoiled  the  King  of  his  own  ideas, 
compelled  him  to  surrender  to  her,  so  to  speak,  his  intellect, 
his  memory,  all  his  faculties,  and  all  his  affections." 

A  favourite,  as  we  have  said  elsewhere,  was  a  necessity  of 
Louis  XVI 1 1. 's  existence.  Obliged  by  his  infirmities  to  forgo 
all  the  pleasures  of  an  active  life,  he  found  his  chief  solace  in 
conversation  ;  and  the  need  of  some  one  who  possessed  the 
art  of  cheering  his  long  hours  of  ennui  and  suffering,  and  who 
could  be  the  recipient  of  all  his  confidences  and  secrets,  was 
ever  present  with  him.  Upon  such — whether  man  or  woman — 
he  was  accustomed  to  bestow  a  wealth  of  affection  which  would 
have  been  highly  ludicrous,  if  it  had  not  been  so  pathetic.  In 
his  Majesty's  eyes,  the  object  of  his  attachment  could  do  no 
wrong;  any  attack  upon  him  was  almost  tantamount  to  high 
treason,  and  the  greater  the  jealousy  he  excited,  the  more 
precious  did  his  friendship  become,  and  the  more  did  the  King 
delight  in  overwhelming  him  with  honours  and  benefits.  It 
was  thus  that  he  had  loved  Madame  de  Balbi,  until  the  discovery 
of  her  too  intimate  relations  with  Archambaud  de  Perigord 
had  come  to  "  destroy  all  his  happiness  "  ;  the  Comte  d'Avaray, 
until  death  had  interrupted  their  friendship,  and  Blacas  and 
his  "  dear  son  "  Decazes,  until  political  exigencies  had  compelled 
him  to  part  with  them.  And  it  was  thus  that  he  loved  the  lady 
of  whom  we  are  now  about  to  speak. 

It  would  appear  to  have  been  some  time  during  the  year 
1 8 19,  when  the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry  had  not  yet 
furnished  the  Ultra-Royalists  with  the  pretext  for  the  clamour 
which  was  to  bring  the  political  career  of  Decazes  to  an  untimely 
end,  that  it  occurred  to  Sosthene  de  la  Rochefoucauld,  son 
of  the  Due  de  Doudeauville,  and  one  of  the  most  intriguing 
members  of  that  party,  that  the  surest  means  of  ruining  their 
enemy  would  be  to  have  recourse  to  the  method  which  had 
so  often  proved  effective  against  King's  favourites  in  former 
days,  namely,  to  raise  up  a  rival  to  him  in  the  royal  favour. 

La  Rochefoucauld  had  for  mistress,  according  to  some 
writers,  for  friend  only,  according  to  others,  a  certain  Comtesse 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  203 

du  Cayla,  nee  Z06  Talon,  a  member  of  an  old  family  of  the 
Parisian  magistracy.  Her  father,  Omer  Talon,  had  been  advo- 
cate and  civil  lieutenant  to  the  Chatelet  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  in  which  capacity  he  was  concerned  in  the  trial 
of  the  unfortunate  Marquis  de  Favras,  and  was  commonly 
believed  to  have  rendered  considerable  service  to  Louis  XVI 1 1., 
then  Comte  de  Provence,  by  the  suppression  of  certain  documents 
which  would  have  gravely  compromised  his  Royal  Highness. 
Forced  to  emigrate  during  the  Terror,  Omer  Talon  returned 
on  the  establishment  of  the  Directory,  and  for  some  time  acted 
as  a  secret  agent  of  the  princes  ;  but,  his  intrigues  having  been 
discovered,  he  was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison.  Here  he 
spent  three  years,  when  he  was  set  at  liberty,  thanks  to  the 
intercession  of  his  daughter,  who  had  been  educated  at  Madame 
Campan's  famous  seminary  at  Saint-Germain-en-Laye,  and  had 
there  formed  a  close  friendship  with  Napoleon's  step-daughter, 
Hortense  de  Beauharnais,  the  future  Queen  of  Holland,  which 
she  was  now  to  turn  to  good  account. 

On  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons,  the  recollection  of  her 
father's  services  and  her  marriage  with  the  Comte  du  Cayla,  a 
nobleman  of  Tuscan  origin  attached  to  the  Household  of  the 
old  Prince  de  Conde,  procured  Zoe  Talon  admission  to  the 
Court,  where  she  soon  attained  a  certain  prominence  among  the 
ladies  of  the  ultra-Royalist  party. 

In  her  married  life,  however,  Madame  du  Cayla  was  far  from 
happy,  and  eventually  a  separation  between  her  and  her 
husband  was  arranged.  The  fault  would  appear  to  have  been 
on  the  latter's  side ;  at  any  rate,  the  old  Comtesse  du  Cayla, 
who  had  at  one  time  been  lady-in-waiting  to  the  Comtesse  de 
Provence,  warmly  espoused  her  daughter-in-law's  cause,  and, 
just  before  she  died,  gave  her  a  letter  to  Louis  XVIII.,  in  which 
she  besought  his  Majesty's  protection  for  the  countess  and  her 
two  children,  of  whose  custody  her  husband  was  threatening  to 
deprive  her. 

Madame  du  Cayla  was  not  strictly  speaking  beautiful, 
neither  was  she  in  her  first  youth,  being  in  fact  thirty- 
five  ;  but  she  was  eminently  seductive,  tall  and  graceful,  with 
jet  black  hair,  which  set  off  to  advantage  the  ivory  whiteness  of 
her  skin,  expressive  brown  eyes,  perfect  teeth,  and  a  very  sweet 
voice.  Moreover,  she  was  intelligent,  witty,  and  amiable  ;  in  a 
word,  quite  irresistible  when  she  wished  to  please. 


204  A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE 

A  sort  of  instinctive  prevision  of  Madame  du  Cayla's 
destiny  came  to  her  devoted  friend  Sosthene  de  la  Rochefou- 
cauld. "  It  seemed  to  me,"  he  writes,  "  that  Madame  du  Cayla 
was  the  only  person  who  could  succeed  in  dissipating  the 
illusions  with  which  Louis  XVIII.  was  surrounded,  and  which  it 
was  necessary  to  destroy,  for  his  honour,  his  happiness,  and  for 
that  of  his  family  and  France."  *  He  accordingly  represented  to 
the  lady  that  religion  and  monarchy  were  both  tottering  to 
their  fall,  owing  to  the  King's  infatuation  for  a  Minister  who, 
through  blindness,  love  of  popularity,  or  ambition,  was  con- 
tinually pushing  him  to  fatal  concessions  to  the  revolutionary 
spirit ;  that  his  Majesty's  heart  constituted  one  half  of  his 
policy,  and  that  he  would  suffer  no  one  to  advise  him  but  those 
whom  he  loved,  and  that  the  only  hope  of  averting  the  catas- 
trophe with  which  France  was  threatened  was  that  some  noble 
and  disinterested  woman  might  be  found  to  remove  from  the 
royal  eyes  the  bandage  which  blinded  them.  Then,  after 
citing  several  instances  of  the  immense  influence  over  royalty 
which  had  been  exercised  by  women  in  past  times,  he  ended  by 
proposing  to  Madame  du  Cayla  that  she  should  essay  the  role 
of  Esther  to  the  Ahasuerus  of  Louis  XVIII.,  and  "insinuate 
herself  by  affection  into  his  heart,  and  by  good  sense  into  his 
mind."  The  necessity  of  seeking  his  protection  against  her 
husband  would  furnish  her  with  an  admirable  pretext  for 
soliciting  an  audience,  and  occasions  for  further  interviews 
would  not  be  difficult  to  find. 

Madame  du  Cayla,  if  we  are  to  believe  La  Rochefoucauld, 
repulsed  with  indignation  this  proposition,  reproached  him  with 
"  having  confounded  her  with  those  bold,  ambitious,  or  hypo- 
critical women  who  avail  themselves  of  their  vices,  or  even  of 
their  virtues,  to  seduce  or  govern  the  hearts  of  kings,"  and  bade 
him,  under  pain  of  losing  her  friendship,  never  to  speak  of  the 
matter  again.  However,  a  little  reflection  served  to  modify 
this  first  repugnance,  and  the  audience  upon  which  such  great 
hopes  were  based  was  solicited  and  immediately  accorded. 

Madame  du  Cayla  appeared  before  the  King  in  the  role  of  a 
persecuted  woman — and,  incidentally,  in  a  toilette  every  detail 
of  which  had  been  the  subject  of  the  most  careful  consideration 
— handed  him  the  letter  which  her  mother-in-law  had  given  her, 
and,  throwing  herself  at  his  feet,  implored  him,  with  tears  in  her 

1  Memoires  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 


ZOE   TALON,  COMTESSE   DU  CAVLA 

FROM    THE    FAINTING    BV   LOUIS    DAVID 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  205 

eyes,  to  extend  his  protection  to  herself  and  her  children.  His 
Majesty  was  touched  ;  he  raised  her  up,  made  her  sit  down  by  his 
side,  and  conversed  with  her  with  the  utmost  graciousness.  The 
charms  of  her  conversation  pleased  him  as  much  as  the  attrac- 
tions of  her  person  ;  and  not  only  did  he  readily  promise  that 
her  children  should  remain  under  her  care  and  that  her  in- 
dependence should  be  safeguarded,  but  he  prolonged  the 
audience  far  beyond  the  customary  time,  and,  at  its  conclusion, 
informed  her  that  he  would  always  be  willing  to  receive  her 
whenever  she  had  any  request  to  make  to  him. 

This  interview  was  succeeded,  at  a  discreet  interval,  by  a 
second,  which  more  than  confirmed  the  favourable  impression 
which  Louis  XVIII.  had  formed  of  the  lady.  Others  followed, 
and  gradually  the  King  began  to  take  so  much  pleasure  in 
Madame  du  Cayla's  society  that  he  did  not  wait  for  her  to 
solicit  an  audience,  but  suggested  it  himself. 

Whether  Madame  du  Cayla  would  ever  have  succeeded  in 
accomplishing  the  mission  which  La  Rochefoucauld  had  marked 
out  for  her,  if  the  storm  which  followed  the  assassination  of  the 
Due  de  Berry  had  not  swept  Decazes  from  her  path,  may  be 
doubted.  But  the  Minister's  removal  immensely  facilitated  her 
operations.  Deprived  of  his  favourite,  the  lonely  old  King 
naturally  felt  more  than  ever  the  need  of  congenial  companion- 
ship, and  surrendered  himself  entirely  to  the  charms  of  his  new 
friend.  The  interviews  became  more  frequent  and  more 
prolonged.  Then,  every  Wednesday  afternoon  was  set  apart 
for  the  reception  of  Madame  du  Cayla,  on  which  occasions  his 
Majesty  gave  strict  order  that  he  was  on  no  account  to  be 
disturbed.1  Finally,  Louis  XVIII.'s  admiration  for  her  was 
transformed  into  a  veritable  infatuation.  She  appeared  at  the 
Tuileries  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and,  in  the  intervals 
between  these  visits,  an  active  correspondence  was  exchanged, 
the  King  often  writing  several  times  a  day,  and  the  lady,  care- 
fully "  coached  "  by  La  Rochefoucauld,  replying  in  terms  which 

1  On  Wednesday  evening,  the  King,  in  giving  the  countersign,  which  consisted 
of  the  name  of  a  person  and  the  name  of  a  place,  invariably  selected  those  which 
recalled  his  countess.  We  read  in  the  Journal  of  the  Marechal  de  Castellane,  under 
date  April  6,  1823  :  "I  was  on  guard  at  the  chateau;  the  King  gave  for  the 
countersign  :  Sainte-Zoe,  La  Rochelle.  When  the  moment  came  for  me  to  give  the 
countersign  to  the  officers  on  duty,  they  observed  :  '  That  is  correct  ;  it  is  Wednesday. ' 
Zoe  is  the  baptismal  name  of  Madame  du  Cayla,  who  has  an  estate  near  La  Rochelle  ; 
Wednesday  is  the  day  on  which  the  King  sees  her.  Zoe  is,  in  consequence,  the 
countersign  every  Wednesday." 


206  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

delighted  the  heart  of  her  senile  admirer.1  "  Madame  d'Henin 
told  me,"  writes  the  Duchesse  Victor  de  Broglie,  under  date 
September  21,  1821,  "  that  the  King  decidedly  has  a  passion  for 
Madame  du  Cayla  ;  he  receives  her  in  private  three  hours  at  a 
time  ;  when  he  drives  along  the  quay,  she  is  at  the  window  of 
her  house  ;  he  puts  his  head  out  of  the  carriage-window  to  look 
lovingly  at  her."  2 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  there  was  anything  immoral  in 
this  intimacy.  The  age  and  infirmities  of  Louis  XVIII.,  as 
Lamartine  expresses  it,  had  "  purified  in  him  the  inclinations  of 
Nature," 3  and  precluded  all  idea  of  gallantry  ;  and  the  most 
austere  members  of  the  ultra-Royalist  party,  and  even  the  Abbe" 
Liautard,  the  director  of  the  countess's  conscience,  regarded 
the  progress  of  the  affair  with  the  warmest  approval. 

It  was,  of  course,  the  role  of  Madame  du  Cayla  to  profess 
the  utmost  disinterestedness.  In  spite  of  the  modesty  of  the 
lady's  fortune,  La  Rochefoucauld  assures  us  that  the  King  had 
all  the  difficulty  in  the  world  to  persuade  her  to  accept  anything 
at  his  hands.  When,  at  the  beginning  of  their  relations,  he 
offered  her  a  roll  of  one  hundred  banknotes  of  one  thousand 
francs  each,  she  declined  the  gift  almost  with  indignation.  It 
was  the  same  when  he  begged  her  acceptance  of  a  magnificent 
parure  of  diamonds,  which  he  had  had  made  expressly  for  her. 
"  Sire,"  said  she,  as  she  handed  the  casket  back,  "  I  am  perhaps 
the  only  person  in  your  kingdom  who  is  unable  to  accept  that 
from  your  Majesty." 

The  countess,  needless  to  say,  lost  nothing  by  these  refusals, 
for  the  old  monarch,  delighted  by  such  an  answer,  had  recourse 
to  the  most  gallant  subterfuges  to  prevent  her  from  repulsing 
his  gifts.  "  My  child,"  said  he  one  day,  "  I  must  give  you  a 
portfolio  in  which  to  lock  up  any  of  my  letters  which  you  may 
wish  to  keep.  And  the  portfolio  which  he  offered  her  was 
thickly  encrusted  with  diamonds.  Then,  one  evening,  when 
she  came  to  see  him  for  a  few  moments  on  her  way  to  a  ball 
at  the  Pavilion  de  Marsan,  his  Majesty,  on  the  pretence  of  read- 
justing a  rebellious  curl  of  her  coiffure,  surreptitiously  attached 

1  The  Baron  de  Vitrolles  declares,  in  his  Mimoires,  that  this  correspondence,  which 
would  undoubtedly  throw  much  light  on  the  events  of  the  last  years  of  Louis  XVIII.' s 
reign,  had  been  religiously  preserved  by  Madame  du  Cayla,  and  that  she  intended  to 
publish  it  after  her  death  ;  but  no  trace  of  it  has  ever  been  discovered. 

2  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de  Louis  XVIII. 

3  Histoire  de  la  Restauration. 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  207 

to  her  hair  a  magnificent  diamond-spray,  which  is  reported 
to  have  been  worth  two  hundred  thousand  francs  ;  and  it  was 
not  until  she  arrived  at  the  ball,  and  all  her  friends  crowded 
round  to  express  their  admiration  of  the  jewel,  that  she  learned 
of  its  presence.  On  another  occasion,  the  King  asked  her 
acceptance  of  a  Bible,  a  present  which,  of  course,  it  was  impos- 
sible for  her  to  refuse.  The  sacred  volume  arrived,  magnificently 
bound  in  morocco,  with  her  Arms  in  gold  on  the  cover,  and 
embellished  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  superb  illustrations. 
But  each  of  these  illustrations,  instead  of  being  protected  by 
tissue  paper,  was  covered  by  a  banknote  for  one  thousand  francs. 

The  climax  of  the  royal  munificence  was  reached,  however, 
when  Louis  XVIII.  presented  Madame  du  Cayla  with  the 
sumptuous  pavilion  which  he  had  built  at  Saint-Ouen,  on  the 
site  of  the  little  chateau  where  he  had  promulgated  the 
Declaration  of  May  2,  18 14.  The  favourite  for  some  time 
refused  to  accept  so  magnificent  a  gift,  and  her  scruples  were 
only  overcome  when  the  King  said  to  her,  pathetically  :  "  My 
child,  reflect  that  Saint-Denis  is  not  far  from  Saint-Ouen  ;  you 
will  go  there  to  pray  for  me  !  " 

Nothing,  we  are  told,  could  exceed  the  elegance  and  luxury 
of  this  abode.  "  Every  detail  showed  minute  care.  The  gutter 
spouts  were  of  polished  marble,  and  the  banisters  of  the  attic 
staircase  of  mahogany  ;  nothing  had  been  overlooked,  and  it 
was  obvious  that  artists  and  workmen  had  been  employed 
regardless  of  expense.  The  cleverest  painters  had  been  com- 
missioned to  decorate  the  walls.  But  all  this  luxury  was  in 
good  taste  and  harmonious,  and  produced  the  effect  of  noble 
simplicity."  1 

Madame  du  Cayla's  reign  at  Saint-Ouen  was  inaugurated 
by  a  splendid  fete,  which  was  attended  by  the  Ministers,  the 
Diplomatic  Corps,  and  all  fashionable  Paris.  Mgr.  de  Frayssinous, 
Bishop  of  Hermepolis,  solemnly  consecrated  the  chapel.  To  the 
sounds  of  a  cantata  executed  by  the  chorus  of  the  Opera,  a 
portrait  of  Louis  XVIII.,  by  Gerard,  in  the  act  of  signing  the 
Declaration  of  Saint-Ouen,  was  unveiled  in  the  library.  A 
vaudeville  was  performed  in  the  theatre  of  the  chateau,  after 
which  the  chdtelaine  emerged  from  a  recess,  crowned  with  a 
civic  crown,  and  was  proclaimed  as  the  heroine  of  the  Charter. 
And  between  four  and  five  hundred  guests  sat  down  to  a  banquet, 

1  Comtesse  de  Boigne,  Mlmoires. 


208  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

during  which  the  Papal  Nuncio,  Monseigneur  Macchi,  and  the 
austere  Abbe  Liautard,  Madame  du  Cayla's  confessor,  "  relieved 
one  another  in  the  task  of  praising  the  Christian  virtues  of  their 
charming  hostess."  1 

Gradually,  Madame  du  Cayla  succeeded  in  establishing 
almost  as  complete  an  ascendency  over  the  mind  of  Louis 
XVIII.  as  she  had  over  his  heart,  and  used  it  without  scruple 
in  the  interests  of  the  ultra- Royalist  party.  "  From  the  day," 
writes  Pasquier,  "  when  M.  Decazes  had  been  taken  from  him 
by  proceedings  which  had  wounded  his  heart,  his  self-esteem, 
and  his  regard  for  the  royal  dignity,  the  King  had  only  occupied 
himself  with  business  so  that  it  should  not  be  said  that  he  had 
given  it  up." 2  Weighed  down  beneath  the  burden  of  his  infirmi- 
ties, he  had  begun  to  fall  into  a  state  of  apathy  which  put  him 
at  the  mercy  of  those  who  resolutely  applied  themselves  to  the 
task  of  governing  him.  Occasionally,  a  flicker  of  the  old  spirit 
would  reveal  itself,  but  it  was  speedily  quenched ;  all  he 
desired  now  was  peace  and  quiet,  and  Madame  du  Cayla  would 
give  him  none  until  he  had  surrendered  to  her  will.  To  her 
influence  may  be  traced  the  fall  of  the  high-minded  and  patriotic 
Due  de  Richelieu,  who  had  refused  to  lend  himself  to  the  plans 
of  Monsieur  and  his  friends  ; 3  the  nomination  of  Villeile  as  Prime 
Minister ;  the  ignominious  dismissal  of  Chateaubriand  from  the 
Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs,  and  the  acceptance  by  the  King 
of  the  Septennial  Bill  of  1824  and  other  reactionary  measures. 

The  attitude  of  the  different  members  of  the  Royal  Family 
towards  the  favourite  is  interesting.  Monsieur,  although  he 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  a  party  to  the  plot  woven  around 
his  helpless  brother,  at  any  rate  in  its  early  stages,  did  not 
scruple  to  take  advantage  of  it,  and  repeatedly  urged  Madame 
du  Cayla  to  "  ignore  the  things  which  spite  and  folly  might  say 
against  her,  and  to  enjoy  in  peace  the  noble  use  which  she  was 
making  of  the  confidence  and  affection  of  the  King."4  The 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme,  on   the   other  hand,  could  not   bring 

1  Comtesse  de  Boigne,  Memoires. 

2  Pasquier,  Mimoires. 

3  The  King's  anxiety  to  secure  the  resignation  of  the  Richelieu  Ministry  was  so 
great,  that  twice  during  the  evening  of  December  14,  1821,  he  wrote  to  the  duke 
requesting  that  the  document  announcing  it  should  be  sent  for  his  signature.  Accord- 
ing to  Madame  de  Boigne,  it  was  afterwards  known  that  he  had  promised  Madame  du 
Cayla  that  the  resignation  should  be  handed  to  her  before  she  went  to  bed. 

*  Lamartine,  Histoire  de  la  Restaur ation. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  209 

herself  to  countenance  a  lady  to  whom  gossip  had  attributed 
in  her  youth  at  least  one  unorthodox  connection,  and  not  only 
treated  her  with  coldness,  but  expressed  her  displeasure  at  the 
intimacy  which  existed  between  her  dame  cTatours,  Madame  de 
Choisy,  and  the  favourite.  At  the  same  time,  we  may  venture 
to  doubt  if,  at  heart,  Madame  altogether  regretted  an  intrigue 
which,  however  unworthy  it  may  have  been,  had  put  an  end 
to  the  dissensions  in  the  Royal  Family  and  was  doing  so  much 
to  promote  the  interests  of  the  party  whom  she  honoured  by 
her  protection. 

As  for  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  less  fastidious  in  her  choice 
of  friends  than  her  sister-in-law,  she  appears  to  have  been  on 
very  good  terms  with  the  favourite,  though  she  did  not  at  all 
approve  of  the  King's  habit  of  referring  to  Madame  du  Cayla, 
even  in  the  presence  of  his  family,  as  "  his  third  daughter,"  which 
seemed  to  place  that  lady  on  a  footing  of  equality  with  the 
Duchesse  d'Angouleme  and  herself;  and,  on  one  occasion,  she 
expressed  her  sentiments  upon  the  matter  rather  pointedly. 
However,  the  relations  between  the  two  ladies  were,  on  the 
whole,  excellent ;  indeed,  Madame  du  Cayla  appears  to  have 
entertained  a  real  affection  for  the  princess,  since  she  remained 
faithful  to  her  cause  after  the  Revolution  of  1830,  corresponded 
with  her  frequently,  and  even  intrigued  on  her  behalf. 

Towards  the  end  of  July  1824,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  left 
Paris  on  a  visit  to  Dieppe,  a  place  with  which  her  name  was 
destined  to  be  closely  associated.  This  famous  old  Norman 
town  had  first  been  brought  into  prominence  as  a  bathing 
resort  by  Queen  Hortense,  who  for  a  number  of  years  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  spending  part  of  every  summer  there.  Up  to 
that  time,  sea-bathing  had  found  little  favour  with  the  French, 
except  in  the  case  of  the  mentally  afflicted  or  persons  threatened 
with  hydrophobia.  The  latter  were,  of  course,  few  in  number, 
but  in  summer-time  along  the  coast  it  was  no  uncommon  thing 
to  catch  sight  of  some  unfortunate  lunatic  spluttering  and 
struggling  in  the  arms  of  stalwart  fishermen,  who  plunged  him 
without  mercy  beneath  the  waves.  The  Queen  of  Holland, 
however,  was  too  prominent  a  Society  leader  for  her  example 
not  to  be  widely  followed,  and,  even  after  the  fall  of  the  Empire, 
fashionable  Paris  continued  to  come  to  Dieppe,  for  the  resort 
had  become  very  popular  with  visitors  from  the  other  side  of 


2IO 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 


the  Channel,  and  under  the  Restoration  English  customs  were 

the  mode.  . 

In  the  afternoon  of  July  22,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  arrived 
at  Rouen,  where  she  met  with  an  enthusiastic  reception,  and  was 
presented  with  a  piece  of  wood  mounted  in  silver,  which  had 
been  taken  from  the  foundations  of  the  ancient  bridge  built 
by  the  Empress  Mathilde,  in  11 50.  She  remained  a  week  in 
the  Norman  capital,  visiting  with  her  usual  indefatigable  energy 
all  the  places  of  interest  in  the  town  and  the  environs,  among 
them  the  Abbey  of  Jumieges,  where  she  was  shown  the  remains 
of  the  tombs  of  the  sons  of  Clovis  and  of  Saint-Philibert,  the 
founder  of  the  Abbey,  and  the  spot  where  Agnes  Sorel,  mistress 
of  Charles  VII.,  had  lain  until  the  revolutionary  mob  had 
desecrated  her  grave. 

On  July  31,  the  princess  made  her  entry  into  Dieppe,  being 
received  at  the  entrance  to  the  town  by  a  deputation  of  fish- 
wives in  their  picturesque  costume  ;  while,  a  little  farther  on, 
a  party  of  young  ladies  presented  themselves  to  beg  her 
acceptance  of  the  model  of  a  ship  exquisitely  carved  in  ivory, 
which  bore  the  name  of  Saint-Ferdinand,  in  memory  of  the 
vessel  which  had  brought  her  to  France  in  18 16.  The  mayor 
harangued  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  reminding  her  of  the  devotion 
that  the  town  had  shown  for  Henri  IV.  in  1589,  and  the  affection 
which  that  monarch  had  always  testified  for  the  Dieppois  ;  and 
the  princess  replied  in  a  tactful  little  speech,  in  which  she  assured 
him  that  she  should  imitate  her  ancestor  in  his  love  for  them. 
Then,  after  visiting  the  citadel,  she  was  conducted  to  the  Hotel 
de  Ville,  where  apartments  had  been  prepared  for  her,  her 
ladies  being  accommodated  in  a  large  house  hard  by,  which 
had   been   connected   with   the  Hotel   de  Ville  by  a   wooden 

gallery. 

The  princess's  first  "  dip  "  was  attended  by  great  ceremony. 
The  inspector  of  the  baths,  dressed  as  though  he  were  about  to 
proceed  to  a  ball,  offered  her  his  white-gloved  hand  and  con- 
ducted her  several  paces  into  the  water ;  and  her  entry  into  the 
sea  was  proclaimed  to  all  the  country  round  by  a  discharge  of 
cannon.  The  next  day,  however,  her  Royal  Highness,  much  to 
her  relief,  was  permitted  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  this 
worthy  gentleman    and  to  disport  herself  in  the  waves  like  a 

simple  mortal. 

The   Duchesse  de  Berry  remained  three  weeks  at  Dieppe, 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  211 

during  which  she  became  immensely  popular  with  the 
inhabitants.  She  had  intended  to  make  a  much  longer  stay, 
but  alarming  news  concerning  the  health  of  the  King  obliged 
her  to  cut  short  her  visit,  and  on  August  23  she  set  out  for 
Paris. 

From  the  spring  of  1824,  it  had  been  evident  to  all  about  him 
that  Louis  XVIII.  had  only  a  few  months  to  live.  Nevertheless, 
the  brave  old  man,  though  perfectly  aware  of  his  desperate  con- 
dition, continued  to  struggle  against  the  progress  of  his  malady, 
and  refused  to  make  any  change  in  his  official  life.  "  A  king," 
said  he  one  day,  in  reply  to  the  remonstrances  of  his  physicians, 
"  is  permitted  to  die,  but  is  forbidden  to  be  ill  "  ;  and,  on  another 
occasion,  he  quoted  the  saying  of  Vespasian  :  "  Oportet  imperat- 
orem  stantem  mori? 

He  still  continued  to  preside  at  the  meetings  of  the  Council 
and  to  give  audiences,  and,  with  the  intention  of  concealing 
his  condition  from  the  public  as  long  as  possible,  in  order  to 
minimise  the  chance  of  disturbances  at  the  beginning  of  the  new 
reign,  took  his  accustomed  drive  every  day,  though  so  inanimate 
did  he  appear  that  people  declared  that  it  was  not  the  King,  but 
a  lay  figure,  dressed  to  resemble  him,  which  passed  through  the 
streets. 

On  August  25,  notwithstanding  the  extreme  heat,  the  King 
insisted  on  returning  from  Saint-Cloud  to  the  Tuileries,  to 
celebrate  there  the  Feast  of  Saint-Louis.  The  usual  reception 
and  presentations  took  place,  and  the  poor  old  man,  seated  in  his 
armchair  and  wearing  a  uniform  covered  with  gold  lace  and 
studded  with  Orders,  forced  himself  to  preserve  for  several  hours 
the  attitude  and  manner  proper  to  these  occasions.  Every  one 
present,  however,  was  shocked  at  his  appearance.  "  His  once 
noble  head,"  writes  Madame  de  Boigne,  "  was  so  shrunken  that 
it  looked  quite  small.  It  drooped  upon  his  chest  so  low  that  his 
shoulders  rose  above  it  ;  only  with  an  effort  could  he  raise  his 
face,  and  then  he  showed  features  so  changed  and  lifeless  that 
there  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  his  condition."  Nevertheless,  he 
contrived  to  murmur  a  few  words  to  those  who  defiled  before 
him,  and  it  was  only  at  the  end  that  pain  and  drowsiness 
prevailed  over  his  resolution,  and,  with  his  head  almost 
touching  his  knees,  he  fell  into  a  slumber  of  exhaustion,  and 
was  carried  back  to  his  apartments,  still  sleeping. 


212  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

On  the  27th  and  28th,  the  King,  in  the  hope  of  dispelling 
the  public  alarm,  which  his  obstinate  firmness  had  only  served 
to  increase,  went  for  his  usual  drive.  On  the  following  day,  he 
announced  his  intention  of  returning  to  Saint-Cloud  ;  but,  at  the 
last  moment,  he  found  himself  so  ill  that  he  was  obliged  to 
countermand  the  departure  of  the  Court.  From  that  day  he 
never  quitted  his  apartments,  but  he  still  gave  audiences,  and, 
pitiable  as  was  his  physical  weakness,  his  mind  was  as  clear  and 
his  memory  as  remarkable  as  it  had  been  in  perfect  health. 
Vill^le  relates  in  his  Memoires  that  on  September  2  he  waited  on 
the  King  to  ask,  on  behalf  of  the  Due  d'Orleans,  that  the  Due  de 
Chartres,  who  would  attain  his  fourteenth  year  on  the  following 
day,  should  be  invested  with  the  cordon  bleu,  as,  according  to 
Louis-Philippe,  all  the  princes  of  the  Blood  had  received  it  at 
that  age,  and  notably  the  Due  d'Enghien.  The  Minister  found 
his  master  scarcely  able  to  hold  up  his  head,  and  was  obliged  to 
beg  him  to  allow  a  pillow  to  be  placed  beneath  it,  in  order  that 
he  might  catch  what  he  said.  Nevertheless,  he  answered  without 
a  moment's  hesitation  :  "  You  will  tell  the  Due  d'Orleans  that  he 
is  mistaken — that  what  he  asks  for  is  not  due  until  the  fifteenth 
year,  and  that  I  shall  never  do  more  for  him  than  what  is  due. 
The  example  he  cites  condemns  his  pretensions.  The  Due 
d'Enghien  was  born  the — "  and  he  gave,  with  astonishing  pre- 
cision, the  day,  month,  and  year  of  his  birth — "  and  only  received 
the  cordon  bleu  the — "  and  again  he  cited  the  precise  date — 
"  fifteen  years  after  his  birth.  The  Due  de  Chartres  will  only 
receive  it  to-morrow  year." 

During  the  next  few  days,  the  malady  made  alarmingprogress, 
but  he  still  struggled  to  perform  his  duties  of  Sovereign,  pre- 
siding at  the  Council  with  his  head  supported  by  pillows.  On 
the  10th,  he  appeared  at  table  for  the  last  time.  "This  was  the 
first  day,"  writes  Marmont,  who  was  present  "  that  he  suffered 
from  moments  of  absent-mindedness.  He  did  I  know  not  what 
disagreeable  thing  to  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme.  On  recovering 
himself,  he  noticed  it,  and  said  to  her,  with  admirable  resignation 
and  an  angelic  gentleness  :  '  Niece,  you  must  pardon  me  ;  when 
any  one  is  dying,  he  does  not  know  very  well  what  he  is 
about'  " 

Meanwhile,  the  Royal  Family  were  becoming  increasingly 
anxious  that  the  King's  confessor,  the  Abbe  Rocher,  should  be 
summoned,  but  none  of  them  had  as  yet  dared  to  propose  it  to  the 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  213 

dying  man,  who,  unlike  his  brother,  had  always  strongly  resented 
the  least  attempt  at  priestly  domination.  At  length,  on  the  nth, 
they  decided  to  request  Madame  du  Cayla,  to  whom  the  King 
intended  to  bid  farewell  that  afternoon,  to  undertake  this  painful 
duty  and  persuade  him  to  be  reconciled  with  Heaven.  The  fair 
countess's  mind  was  occupied  just  then  by  matters  very  different 
from  the  salvation  of  her  royal  admirer,1  but  the  mission  was 
one  which,  of  course,  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  refuse,  and, 
after  her  departure,  the  Royal  Family  learned,  to  their  intense 
relief,  that  his  Majesty's  confessor  had  been  sent  for. 

It  was  none  too  soon,  for,  during  the  evening,  the  King 
became  so  much  worse  that  it  was  decided  to  administer  the 
Sacraments  early  on  the  following  morning  (Sunday,  September 
12).  At  eight  o'clock,  the  Grand  Almoner,  the  Cardinal  de  Croy, 
and  the  cure  of  Saint-Germain  l'Auxerrois,  followed  by  Monsieur, 
the  Due  and  Duchesse  d'Angoul£me,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  the 
Princes  and  Princesses  of  the  Blood,  the  grand  officers  of  the 
Crown,  and  the  Ministers  and  Secretaries  of  State,  brought  the 
Holy  Sacrament  to  the  King's  apartments.  The  clergy,  the 
princes  and  princesses  entered  the  royal  bedchamber ;  the  rest 
of  the  cortege  remained  in  the  adjoining  cabinets.  The  King 
received  the  consecrated  wafer  from  the  hands  of  the  Grand 
Almoner,  and  Extreme  Unction  was  afterwards  administered. 
The  princes  and  princesses  then  knelt  down  to  receive  the  royal 
blessing,  and,  advancing  in  turn  to  the  bed,  embraced  the  King 
for  the  last  time. 

Later  in  the  day,  Louis  XVIII.  asked  to  see  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux  and  Mademoiselle,  who  were  brought  from  Saint- 
Cloud  by  their  gouvernante.  "  He  wished  to  embrace  them," 
writes  Madame  de  Gontaut :  "  I  lifted  up  the  Due  de  Bordeaux, 
and  I  heard  him  say,  in  a  very  low  voice  :  '  Poor  child  !  May  you 
be  more  happy  than  we  have  been  ! '  Meanwhile,  Mademoiselle 
took  his  hand  and  kissed  it.  I  trembled  lest  she  should  touch 
his  feet,  which  were  in  a  frightful  condition.  I  pitied  him  deeply, 

1  Madame  du  Cayla  did  not  take  leave  of  the  King  with  empty  hands.  She 
presented  for  his  signature  an  order  to  buy  for  her  the  Hotel  de  Montmorency,  in  the 
Rue  de  Bourbon,  which  its  present  owner  Marechal  Mortier,  Due  de  Trevise,  had 
recently  announced  for  sale.  Louis  XVIII.  made  a  formless  scrawl  at  the  bottom 
of  the  paper,  which  was  accepted  as  a  regular  signature  by  the  Due  de  Doudeauville, 
Minister  of  the  King's  Household,  and  that  same  day  the  purchase  money — 700,000 
francs — was  paid  to  the  marshal,  and  his  hotel  became  the  property  of  Madame  du 
Cayla, 


2i4  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  I  felt  so  sad  that  I  could  scarcely  restrain  my  tears.  When 
I  reached  the  door,  I  looked  back  once  more,  and  felt  that  it 
was  for  the  last  time.  On  our  way  back  to  Saint-Cloud  the 
children  were  very  sad." 

Until  that  morning,  the  King's  condition  had  been  carefully 
concealed  from  the  public,  but  bulletins  were  now  issued  which 
effectually  dispelled  all  illusions,  and  on  the  following  day  orders 
were  given  for  the  closing  of  the  Bourse  and  the  theatres. 

On  September  13,  there  was  a  trifling  improvement,  and  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  was  able  to  drive  out  to  Saint-Cloud  and 
spend  some  hours  with  her  children.  On  the  14th,  however,  the 
King  was  much  weaker,  and  the  prayers  for  the  dying  were 
recited  in  his  bedchamber,  in  the  presence  of  the  Royal  Family. 
At  that  moment,  Louis  XVIII.,  who  had  sunk  into  a  state  of 
coma,  recovered  consciousness.  "  Sire,"  said  the  Grand  Almoner, 
"  unite  yourself  to  the  intention  of  my  prayers."  "  I  do  not 
think  I  have  got  to  that  point  yet,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  but  no 
matter ;  go  on." 

On  the  15th,  it  was  seen  that  the  King  was  rapidly  sinking, 
and  at  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Thursday,  September  16, 
the  end  came.  When  the  King's  laboured  breathing  ceased, 
the  Baron  Portal,  first  surgeon  to  Louis  XVIIL,  took  a  candle 
and  held  it  close  to  his  royal  patient's  mouth.  Then,  seeing 
that  the  flame  remained  upright,  he  turned  to  Monsieur,  and 
exclaimed  :  "  Le  Roi  est  mort !     Vive  le  Roi  !  " 

The  new  King,  overwhelmed  with  grief,  for,  notwithstanding 
their  occasional  quarrels,  he  had  been  tenderly  attached  to  his 
brother,  left  the  chamber  of  death  with  the  tears  streaming 
down  his  face.  The  Duchesse  d'Angouleme  prepared  to  follow 
him.  Hitherto,  as  the  daughter  of  a  king,  she  had  always 
taken  precedence  of  her  husband,  but  when  she  reached  the 
door,  she  suddenly  remembered  that  she  enjoyed  that  right  no 
longer,  and,  turning  to  the  duke,  said  :  "  Passes,  Monsieur  le 
Daupliin  ! "  Deeply  affected  as  she  was  by  the  death  of  the 
man  who  had  been  a  second  father  to  her,  she  would  not  permit 
it  to  distract  her  attention  from  a  matter  of  pure  etiquette,  in 
circumstances  when  no  one  would  have  noticed  any  breach  of  it. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

The  new  King  and  the  Royal  Family  at  Saint-Cloud — Lying-in-state  of 
Louis  XVIII. — The  procession  to  Saint-Denis — The  funeral  ceremony — Character  of 
Charles  X. — The  new  reign  opens  under  the  happiest  auspices — Entry  of  the  King 
into  Paris — Review  in  the  Champ  de  Mars — A  colonel  of  four  years  of  age — Opening 
of  the  Chambers  :  incident  of  the  King's  hat — Death  of  Ferdinand  I.  of  the  Two 
Sicilies — Charles  X.  decides  to  be  crowned  at  Rheims — Arrival  of  the  King  at 
Rheims — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  Jeanne  d'Arc — The  Sacre — The  return  to 
Paris. 

IN  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  Kings  of  France,  who 
never  remained  a  moment  longer  than  necessary  in  the 
palace  where  their  predecessor  had  just  passed  away, 
Charles  X.  immediately  despatched  a  mounted  messenger  to 
Saint-Cloud,  with  directions  to  Madame  de  Gontaut  to  have 
everything  in  readiness  for  the  arrival  of  the  Royal  Family,  who 
followed  an  hour  or  two  later. 

On  his  arrival,  the  new  Sovereign,  whose  countenance  plainly 
showed  how  deeply  he  felt  the  loss  of  his  brother,  inquired  what 
apartments  had  been  prepared  for  him.  He  was  told  that  both 
his  own  and  the  late  King's  had  been  made  ready.  "  He 
stopped,"  writes  Madame  de  Gontaut,  "clasped  his  hands  in 
silence,  and  then,  turning  to  the  governor  of  the  chateau,  said  : 
1  It  must  be  so  ;  let  us  go  upstairs.'  We  followed  him.  He 
traversed  the  apartments  and  stopped  at  the  door  of  the  King's 
chamber.  I  came  forward  with  Monseigneur  [the  Due  de 
Bordeaux]  and  Mademoiselle,  and  he  embraced  them.  They, 
poor  children  !  were  quite  upset  by  all  this  sadness.  He  said  to 
them  :  '  As  soon  as  I  can,  I  will  come  to  see  you  ; '  and  then, 
turning  round,  he  said  to  the  persons  who  were  following  him  : 
4 1  desire  to  be  alone.'  They  all  silently  withdrew.  We 
accompanied  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  her  apartment ;  Madame 
la  Dauphine  (for  that  was  her  title  now)  wept  ;  the  Dauphin 
had  disappeared.  It  was  all  very  dismal ;  nobody  said  a  word. 
Thus  passed  the  first  day  of  the  reign  of  Charles  X." 

On  the  morning  of  the    17th,  the   members  of  the  Royal 

215 


2i6  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Family,  including  the  little  Due  de  Bordeaux  and  Mademoiselle, 
waited  upon  Charles  X.  to  pay  him  homage,  which  ceremony 
concluded,  they  all  repaired  to  the  chapel,  where  a  Requiem 
Mass  for  the  soul  of  the  late  King  was  celebrated.  After  Mass, 
the  King  received  the  Due  and  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  Mile. 
d'Orl^ans,  and  the  Due  de  Bourbon  in  his  cabinet,  and  subse- 
quently gave  audience  to  the  Ministers  and  grand  officers  of 
the  Crown,  who  renewed  the  customary  oath  of  allegiance,  and 
to  the  Papal  Nuncio,  who  pronounced  a  discourse  in  the  name 
of  the  Diplomatic  Corps. 

The  King  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  following  day  in 
receiving  deputations  from  various  public  bodies  and  munici- 
palities. On  the  19th,  he  drove  to  the  Tuileries,  where,  with  the 
princes  and  princesses,  he  sprinkled  holy  water  upon  the  body 
of  his  brother,  which,  after  being  embalmed,  had  been  laid  upon 
a  state  bed  in  the  throne-room,  and  then  returned  to  Saint- 
Cloud.  After  his  departure,  the  doors  were  opened  and  the 
public  admitted  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  their 
deceased  sovereign.  More  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
persons  are  said  to  have  defiled  before  the  coffin. 

The  removal  of  the  remains  of  the  late  King  to  Saint-Denis 
took  place  on  the  23rd,  with  great  solemnity.  The  gendarmerie 
of  Paris  and  of  the  Department  of  the  Seine  opened  the  march, 
followed  by  the  general-staff  and  detachments  from  various 
regiments.  After  them  came  the  Polytechnic  School  and  the 
School  of  Saint- Cyr,  a  great  number  of  officers  of  different  grades, 
and  representatives  of  various  corporations.  Four  hundred  poor 
men,  each  holding  in  his  hand,  according  to  custom,  a  lighted 
taper,  immediately  preceded  the  Court  carriages,  in  which 
were  the  princes,  the  grand  dignitaries,  and  the  officials  of 
the  Royal  Household.  In  the  last  sat  the  Grand  Almoner,  the 
Cardinal  de  Croy,  holding  a  silver-gilt  box,  which  contained 
the  heart  of  the  late  King.  Finally,  came  the  funeral-car, 
which  was  of  the  utmost  magnificence,  covered  with  embroidery, 
cyphers,  and  emblems.  Four  statues  of  silver  representing 
Fame,  supported  at  each  angle  the  dome,  on  which  appeared 
two  angels,  likewise  of  silver,  bearing  a  colossal  royal  crown. 
The  car  was  drawn  by  twelve  magnificent  horses,  with  tall  black 
plumes  on  their  heads,  led  by  twenty-four  grooms  in  mourning 
livery.  Four  of  the  late  King's  chaplains  followed  the  hearse, 
and  the  pages,  equerries,  and  heralds-at-arms,  and  a  detachment 


A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE  217 

of  the  bodyguard  closed  the  official  part  of  the  procession.  On 
leaving  the  Tuileries,  the  cortege  passed  under  the  Arc  de 
Triomphe  and  took  the  road  to  Saint-Denis,  following  the 
boulevards  and  the  faubourg.  Batteries  of  artillery,  placed  at 
regular  intervals,  fired  salutes,  and  the  regimental  bands  played 
in  turn  funeral  marches.  An  immense  crowd  lined  the  route, 
whose  profound  silence  increased  the  imposing  effect  of  the  long 
and  majestic  cortege,  slowly  defiling  through  its  midst ;  all  the 
shops  in  Paris  were  closed,  and  many  of  the  houses  draped  in 
black.  On  arriving  at  Saint-Denis,  the  bier  was  lifted  from  the 
hearse  and  delivered  into  the  care  of  the  Chapter.  Eight 
soldiers  of  the  Gardes  du  corps  then  carried  it  into  the  cJiapelle 
ardente  prepared  for  its  reception,  where  it  remained  exposed 
until  October  24.  On  that  day  it  was  transported  to  the 
catafalque  raised  in  the  middle  of  the  basilica,  and  on  the  25th 
the  final  obsequies  were  celebrated. 

The  Dauphin  and  Dauphine  assisted  at  the  ceremony, 
but,  in  conformity  with  etiquette,  Charles  X.  was  not  present. 
He  remained  at  the  Tuileries,  and  attended  a  Requiem  Mass  in 
the  chapel  of  the  chateau,  celebrated  at  the  same  hour  as  the 
service  at  Saint-Denis.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  remained  with 
him,  since  it  had  been  judged  advisable  to  spare  the  young 
princess  so  painful  a  spectacle  as  the  opening  of  the  vault  which 
was  the  burial-place  of  her  assassinated  husband  and  her  two 
children  who  had  died  immediately  after  their  birth. 

At  St.  Denis,  the  Mass  was  said  by  the  Grand  Almoner,  and 
the  Bishop  of  Hermepolis  pronounced  the  funeral  oration. 
After  the  absolution,  the  coffin  was  lifted  from  the  catafalque 
and  borne  to  the  royal  tomb  by  twelve  Gardes  du  corps  ;  the 
Chancellor  Dambray,  representing  the  Chamber  of  Peers,  Ravez, 
representing  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  the  Comte  de  Seze,  re- 
presenting the  magistracy,  and  Marechal  Moncey,  Due  de  Cone- 
gliano,  representing  the  Army,  supported  the  corners  of  the 
pall.  After  the  coffin  had  been  lowered  into  the  vault,  and  the 
King-at-arms  had  thrown  the  deceased  monarch's  spurs,  gaunt- 
lets, buckler,  and  helmet  after  it,  the  Due  d'Uzes,  Grand  Master 
of  France,  placed  the  end  of  his  baton  in  the  vault,  and  cried  : 
"  Le  Roi  est  mort !  "  The  King-at-arms,  stepping  back  three 
paces,  repeated  three  times,  in  a  loud  voice  :  "  Le  Roi  est  mort !  " 
Then,  turning  towards  the  congregation,  he  said  :  "  Pray  God  for 
the  repose  of  his  soul !  " 


218  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

At  these  words,  the  clergy  and  every  one  present  fell  on 
their  knees,  and  remained  for  a  moment  in  silent  prayer.  The 
Grand  Master  drew  back  his  baton,  and  brandishing  it  cried  ; 
"  Vive  le  Roi  !  "  The  King-at-arms  repeated  :  "  Vive  le  Roi  ! 
Vive  le  Roi.  Vive  le  Roi  Charles,  tenth  of  the  name  !  by  the 
grace  of  God,  King  of  France  and  Navarre,  very  Christian,  very 
august,  very  puissant,  our  very  honoured  lord  and  good  master, 
to  whom  may  God  accord  a  very  long  and  very  happy  life  !  Cry 
all :  '  Vive  le  Roi  I '  "  Then  the  trumpets,  drums,  and  fifes  sounded 
a  loud  fanfare,  and  the  vast  basilica  rang  with  deafening  shouts 
of  "  Vive  le  Roi!     Vive  Charles  X." 

Born  on  October  9,  1757,  Charles  X.  was  just  about  to  enter 
his  sixty-eighth  year  at  the  moment  of  his  accession  to  the 
throne.  Save,  however,  for  the  colour  of  his  hair,  which  was 
almost  snow-white,  he  might  well  have  passed  for  a  man  of 
fifty,  since,  thanks  to  regular  habits  and  an  exceptionally  fine 
constitution,  "  he  had  preserved,  under  the  first  frosts  of  age,  the 
briskness,  the  erectness,  the  elasticity,  and  the  beauty  of  his 
youth."  l  A  tall,  lithe,  handsome  man,  an  indefatigable  sports- 
man, a  bold  and  accomplished  rider,  an  agreeable  talker,  ex- 
quisitely courteous  to  women,  gracious  and  affable  towards  all, 
he  presented  a  striking  contrast  to  his  corpulent,  infirm  pre- 
decessor. Possessed  in  a  remarkable  degree  of  the  art  of 
pleasing,  he  charmed  every  one  who  approached  him,  and  so 
perfectly  did  he  succeed  in  setting  people  at  their  ease  that  they 
were  sometimes  in  danger  of  forgetting  that  they  were  talking 
to  the  King. 

Since  the  death  of  his  beloved  Madame  de  Polastron,  in 
1803,  his  private  life  had  been  altogether  beyond  reproach. 
None  of  the  scandals  which  had  disgraced  the  Court  of  almost 
all  his  predecessors  was  permitted  to  tarnish  his,  and  even  the 
most  malicious  gossips  never  ventured  to  couple  his  name  with 
that  of  any  woman.  He  was  an  affectionate  father  and  grand- 
father, a  loyal  friend,  a  kind  and  indulgent  master,  and  a 
sincerely  religious  man.  In  short,  it  would  have  been  difficult 
to  say  whether  his  kingly  qualities  or  his  private  virtues  aroused 
the  most  admiration. 

Unhappily,  with  his  many  good  qualities,  Charles  combined 
grave  faults — faults  which  were  to  prove  his  undoing.     He  did 

1  Lamartine. 


A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE  219 

not  lack  intelligence  and  was  animated  by  the  best  motives,  but 
he  was  utterly  wanting  in  that  gift,  which  is  above  all  others 
essential  for  a  king — the  knowledge  of  men.  From  his  youth 
upwards  he  had  chosen  his  associates  badly ;  complaisant  ladies 
and  frivolous  young  men  had  been  the  companions  of  his  youth  ; 
bigoted  priests  and  reactionary  nobles  were  the  familiars  of  his 
riper  years.  Since  the  return  of  his  family  to  France,  a  little 
court,  half  ecclesiastical,  half  political,  had  grouped  itself  about 
him,  composed,  for  the  most  part,  of  men  grown  old  in  exile  and 
embittered  against  the  Revolution  by  which  they  had  been  pro- 
scribed. This  little  court,  ignorant,  prejudiced,  and  greedy, 
which  abhorred  the  Charter,  detested  popular  institutions,  and 
regarded  the  middle-classes  with  almost  as  much  disdain  as  it 
did  the  masses,  had  been  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XVIII.  a 
focus  of  aristocratic  and  episcopal  opposition,  and  had  thwarted 
at  every  turn  the  conciliatory  policy  of  the  King.  Baneful, 
however,  as  had  been  its  influence  in  the  late  reign,  it  was  to  be 
infinitely  more  disastrous  in  that  of  a  King  who  had  acquired 
the  deplorable  habit  of  viewing  affairs  with  the  eyes  of  those 
about  him,  and  whose  zeal  for  religion  caused  him  to  fall  an 
easy  prey  to  those  who  claimed  to  speak  in  its  name.  The 
sublime,  it  has  been  well  said,  is  not  so  near  the  ridiculous  as 
is  superstition  to  immorality.  Sincerely  desirous  of  atoning  for 
the  follies  of  his  youth,  Charles's  devotion  perverted  his 
judgment  and  influenced  his  policy  to  an  extent  of  which  he 
himself  was  perhaps  only  dimly  aware.  Often  when  he  believed 
that  he  was  obeying  the  dictates  of  his  conscience,  he  was 
simply  acting  under  the  inspiration  of  his  sacerdotal  advisers. 
"  He  was  destined,"  observed  Lamartine,  "  to  fall  a  victim  to 
his  faith.  In  him  the  Christian  was  destined  to  ruin  the 
king."  x 

Seldom,  however,  did  a  reign  open  under  happier  auspices. 
The  conspiracies  and  agitations  of  which  France  had  so  long 
been  the  theatre  had  ceased ;  Napoleon  was  dead,  and  his  son, 
the  young  Duke  of  Reichstadt,  regarded  by  most  people  as  a 
simple  Austrian  prince,  provoked  no  enthusiasm,  save  among  a 
few  of  the  most  devoted  Bonapartists.  The  Army,  since  the 
war  in  Spain,  had  given  itself  definitely  to  the  Bourbons.  The 
extreme  Liberal  party  had  been  reduced  to  silence  and  impotence, 
and  an  immense   majority   in   both    Chambers    supported  the 

1  Histoire  de  la  Restauration. 


220  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

Monarchy.  Nothing,  either  at  home  or  abroad,  seemed  to 
indicate  that  the  era  of  revolutions  was  not  definitely  closed,  and 
that  Charles  X.  might  not  look  forward  to  a  reign  as  tranquil  as 
that  of  his  predecessor  had  been  stormy. 

The  conduct  of  the  new  King  was  certainly  calculated 
to  dispel  any  suspicions  entertained  by  liberal  opinion  as  to 
the  policy  which  he  would  pursue  on  his  accession  to  the 
throne.  The  deputations  which  came  to  felicitate  him  at  Saint- 
Cloud  were  assured  that  it  was  his  intention  "  to  maintain  the 
Charter  and  the  institutions  that  they  owed  to  the  King  whom 
Heaven  had  taken  from  them  "  ;  to  obliterate  every  trace  of  past 
dissension  between  the  two  branches  of  the  Royal  House,  the 
Due  d'Orleans  was  accorded  the  coveted  title  of  Royal  High- 
ness, which,  it  will  be  remembered,  Louis  XVIII.  had  constantly 
refused  him,  and  the  marshals  and  generals  who  had  taken  up 
arms  for  Napoleon  during  the  Hundred  Days,  and  had  until 
then  remained  in  disgrace,  were  received  with  the  utmost 
cordiality  and  informed  that  the  past  was  forgotten. 

In  the  midst  of  the  enthusiasm  aroused  by  these  conciliatory 
acts,  on  September  27,  1824,  Charles  X.  made  his  entry  into 
Paris.  Leaving  Saint-Cloud  at  half-past  eleven,  the  King 
passed  through  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  and  arrived  at  the  Porte- 
Maillot,  where  the  procession  was  formed.  It  was  composed  of 
the  King's  staff,  the  National  Guards  of  Paris,  the  Royal  Guard, 
the  Due  de  Bourbon  and  his  aides-de-camp,  the  Due  d'Orleans 
and  his  Household,  the  Dauphin  and  his  staff,  the  Gardes  du 
corps,  the  aides-de-camp  of  his  Majesty,  his  pages,  the  King, 
his  civil  Household,  the  carriage  of  the  Dauphine,  with  whom 
were  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  and  Mile. 
d'Orleans,  and  the  carriages  containing  the  ladies  of  their 
suites.  The  King  rode  a  magnificent  white  Arab  charger, 
and,  notwithstanding  his  white  hair  and  his  sixty-seven  years, 
looked  almost  as  sprightly  as  in  the  days  of  his  youth. 

At  the  Barriere  de  l'Etoile,  a  salvo  of  one  hundred  and  one 
guns  announced  the  arrival  of  the  King  in  Paris.  The  Comte 
de  Chabrol,  the  Prefect  of  the  Seine,  at  the  head  of  the  members 
of  the  Municipal  Council,  harangued  his  Majesty  and  presented 
him  with  the  keys  of  the  town  ;  and  the  procession  then 
proceeded  down  the  Champs  Elysees  and  the  Avenue  de 
Marigny  and  entered  the  Rue  du  Faubourg  Saint-Honore\  As 
the  King  was  passing  the  Elys^e,  a  voice  was  heard  calling : 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  221 

"  Bon-papa  !  Bon-papa  !  "  And,  looking  up,  he  perceived  at  a 
window  of  the  palace  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  and  Mademoiselle, 
who  had  obtained  permission  to  witness  the  pageant.  His 
Majesty's  affection  for  his  grandchildren  prevailed  over  his 
regard  for  etiquette,  and,  notwithstanding  the  horrified  protesta- 
tions of  the  Grand  Master  of  the  Ceremonies,  he  wheeled  his 
horse  and  rode  up  to  the  window.  This  unexpected  movement 
threw  the  procession  into  disorder,  and  a  sergent-de-ville,  not 
recognising  the  King,  seized  his  horse's  bridle,  upon  which  the 
animal  began  to  plunge  and  rear  so  violently  that  Madame  de 
Gontaut,  who  was  with  the  children,  feared  that  the  royal  rider 
would  be  thrown,  and  uttered  a  cry  of  alarm.  Charles,  however, 
was  too  good  a  horseman  to  allow  himself  to  be  unseated  ;  he 
soon  succeeded  in  quieting  his  frightened  steed,  and  having 
spoken  a  few  affectionate  words  to  the  children  and  bowed 
gracefully  to  the  ladies  who  were  with  them,  he  resumed  his 
place  in  the  procession,  while  the  crowd,  delighted  by  this  little 
incident,  rent  the  air  with  shouts  of  "  Vive  le  Roi  !  " x 

By  way  of  the  boulevards,  the  Rue  Saint-Denis,  and  the 
Pont-au-Change,  the  cortege  reached  Notre-Dame,  where  the 
King  was  received  by  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  at  the  head  of 
his  clergy.  The  Domine,  salvum  fac  regem  was  intoned  and 
repeated  by  the  deputations  and  functionaries  of  all  ranks  who 
filled  the  basilica,  and  the  Te  Deum  sung.  On  leaving  the 
cathedral,  Charles  X.  again  mounted  his  horse  and  proceeded 
along  the  quays  to  the  Tuileries  in  a  pouring  rain,  which, 
however,  neither  diminished  the  number  of  the  spectators  nor 
damped  their  enthusiasm ;  while  the  King  took  his  wetting 
with  the  best  grace  in  the  world  and  charmed  the  people  by 
the  graciousness  with  which  he  acknowledged  their  greetings. 
"  From  Saint-Cloud  to  Notre-Dame,  from  Notre-Dame  to  the 
Tuileries,"  wrote  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  Madame  de  Gontaut, 
"the  King  was  escorted  by  acclamations,  by  marks  of  approbation 
and  love." 

Three  days  later  (September  30),  Charles  X.  held  a  grand 
review  on  the  Champ  de  Mars.  An  immense  crowd  covered 
the  plain,  and  the  enthusiasm  was,  if  possible,  even  greater  than 
on  the  day  of  his  entry,  for  that  morning  there  had  appeared 
in  the  journals  a  royal  Ordinance  which  abolished  the  censor- 
ship and  re-established  the  liberty  of  the  Press.     The  Dauphine, 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Mcmoires. 


222  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  accompanied 
the  King,  and  the  little  prince  shared  with  his  grandfather  the 
honours  of  the  day.  He  was  in  the  uniform  of  a  colonel  of 
cuirassiers,  and  took  himself  very  seriously  indeed;  and  the  crowd 
was  hugely  delighted  at  seeing  this  colonel  of  four  years  old 
respond  to  its  applause  by  a  correct  military  salute. 

The  opening  of  the  Chambers  took  place  at  the  Louvre  on 
December  22, 1824,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense  crowd.  The 
Duchesse  de  Berry  with  her  children  and  the  Dauphine  and 
the  Duchesse  d'Orleans  assisted  at  the  ceremony.  At  the 
moment  of  the  King's  arrival,  an  incident  occurred  which,  after 
the  July  Revolution,  the  superstitious  did  not  fail  to  recall, 
though,  at  the  time,  they  probably  attached  to  it  little  signi- 
ficance. "  The  estrade  prepared  for  the  Royal  Family,"  writes 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  "was  the  same  that  had  been  made  for 
the  late  King ;  and,  by  inadvertence,  a  little  unevenness  had 
been  left,  which  escaped  the  King's  notice  and  made  him 
stumble.  This  movement  caused  his  hat,  which  he  was  holding 
under  his  arm,  to  fall  to  the  ground,  and  the  Due  d'Orleans 
picked  it  up.  The  Duchesse  d'Orleans  said  to  me  :  '  The  King 
would  have  fallen,  but  my  husband  saved  him.'  I  replied : 
1  No,  Madame,  Monseigneur  only  picked  up  his  Majesty's  hat.' 
At  this  the  Dauphine  turned  and  looked  at  me.  We  did  not 
speak  of  it  until  six  years  later  ;  but  we  never  forgot  it,  either 
of  us." l 

At  the  end  of  February  1825,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  learned 
of  the  death  of  her  grandfather,  Ferdinand  I.  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
who  had  died  on  January  4,  1825,  leaving  the  crown  to  the 
princess's  father,  who  ascended  the  throne  under  the  name  of 
Francis  I.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  not  seen  the  old 
King  since  her  departure  from  Naples  in  the  spring  of  18 16, 
but  she  had  not  forgotten  the  kindness  with  which  he  had 
always  treated  her,  and  she  was  sincerely  grieved  at  his  death. 
However,  the  preparations  for  the  Sacre  at  Rheims  served  to 
divert  the  princess's  thoughts  into  a  different  channel. 

Half  a  century  had  passed  since  a  King  of  France  had  been 
crowned  in  the  cathedral  of  Saint-Remi,  for  Louis  XVII.  had 
passed  the  few  months  of  his  royalty  a  prisoner  in  the  Temple, 
and  the  excessive  fatigue  which  the  ceremony  would  have 
imposed  upon  him,  and  the  enormous  expense  it  would  have 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Mimoires. 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  223 

involved,  had  deterred  Louis  XVIII.  from  reviving  it.  Charles 
X.,  however,  who  enjoyedlthe  best  of  health,  and  whose  accession 
found  the  finances  of  France  completely  re-established,  did  not 
hesitate  to  revert  to  the  custom  of  his  ancestors,  which,  to  his 
devout  mind  must  have  seemed  an  indispensable  preliminary 
to  the  exercise  of  kingly  authority ;  and  at  the  opening  of  the 
Chambers,  in  the  previous  December,  he  had  announced  his 
intention  of  "  renewing  his  oaths  and  returning  thanks  to  the 
Divine  Providence  at  the  foot  of  the  same  altar  where  Clovis 
received  the  holy  unction."  His  decision  was  hailed  with 
enthusiasm  by  the  Chambers,  which  voted  a  sum  of  six  million 
francs  to  defray  the  expense  of  the  ceremony. 

May  29  was  the  date  selected  for  the  Sacre.  On  the  28th, 
the  King  made  his  entry  into  Rheims  in  a  magnificent  gilded 
coach,  and  passed  under  a  long  avenue  of  triumphal  arches  to 
the  cathedral,  where  he  was  received  by  the  Archbishop  of 
Rheims  and  his  suffragans,  the  Bishops  of  Soissons,  Beauvais, 
Chalons,  and  Amiens.  The  archbishop  presented  holy  water 
and  incense  to  the  King,  and  then  a  copy  of  the  Gospels,  which 
his  Majesty,  who  knelt  upon  a  velvet  cushion,  pressed  to  his 
lips.  The  King  was  then  conducted  into  the  cathedral,  where 
he  heard  Vespers,  at  which  the  archbishop  officiated,  and  an 
eloge  of  himself  and  the  Royal  Family  from  the  Cardinal  de  la 
Fare,  after  which  he  proceeded  to  the  archiepiscopal  palace, 
where  he  was  to  pass  the  night.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  with 
the  Dauphine  and  the  Princesses  of  the  Blood,  was  present  at 
the  service,  and,  early  the  following  morning,  before  the  doors 
were  opened  to  the  public,  she  repaired  alone  to  the  cathedral, 
in  the  strictest  incognito,  and  kneeling  on  the  spot  where 
Jeanne  d'Arc  had  stood,  holding  the  royal  oriflamme  at  the 
coronation  of  Charles  VII.,  offered  up  a  fervent  prayer  to  the 
saviour  of  France,  who  had  long  been  the  object  of  her  particular 
veneration. 

The  Sacre  began  at  seven  o'clock,  in  the  presence  of  a 
brilliant  assemblage,  which  included  Ambassadors  Extraordinary 
from  every  sovereign  in  Europe.  The  ancient  ceremonial  had 
been  somewhat  abridged,  and  certain  portions  which  were  no 
longer  compatible  with  modern  ideas  modified,  the  most  notable 
instance  being  the  substitution  of  an  oath  to  govern  in  conformity 
with  the  Charter  for  that  which  the  Kings  of  France  formally 
took  to  exterminate  heresy.   The  most  interesting  and  impressive 


224  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

details  had,  however,  been  retained,  and  Charles  X.  wore  his 
mediaeval  and  somewhat  theatrical  costume — the  tunic,  the 
mantle,  the  buskins,  and  the  rest — with  so  much  grace  and 
dignity  that  his  appearance  excited  general  admiration.  The 
Holy  Ampulla  itself  was  not,  as  several  writers  incorrectly 
state,  used  on  this  occasion  ;  it  was  no  longer  in  existence, 
having  been  broken  to  pieces,  in  1793,  by  Ruhl,  the  deputy  in 
mission  to  the  department  of  the  Marne.1  But,  before  delivering 
it  to  the  Conventionalist,  the  Abbe  Seraine,  cure  of  Saint-Remi, 
had  extracted  a  part  of  its  contents,  which  was  carefully  pre- 
served and  used  for  the  anointing  of  Charles  X. 

On  June  6,  the  King  returned  to  his  capital,  which  was  again 
favoured  by  a  state  entry.  Charles  X.  occupied  a  magnificent 
coach  with  seven  windows,  and  was  accompanied  by  the  Dauphin 
and  the  Dues  d'Orleans  and  de  Bourbon.  The  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  the  Dauphine,  and  the  Orleans  princes  followed  in 
another.  The  weather,  on  this  occasion,  was  magnificent,  but 
shrewd  observers  did  not  fail  to  note  that  his  Majesty  was 
much  less  cordially  received  than  he  had  been  in  the  previous 
September,  amid  the  discouragement  of  pouring  rain.  The 
measures  presented  to  the  Chambers  in  the  past  session  had 
not  given  satisfaction,  and  one  of  them — that  which  re-established 
the  crime  of  sacrilege  in  the  civil  law  and  punished  it  by  death 
— was  bitterly  resented  by  all  shades  of  liberal  opinion.  Clouds 
were  already  beginning  to  darken  the  horizon  which  a  few 
months  before  had  appeared  so  serene. 

The  return  of  the  Court  was  followed  by  an  interminable 
series  of  fetes  :  balls,  banquets,  receptions,  and  gala  performances 
at  the  different  theatres.  In  most  of  these  gaieties  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  naturally  played  a  prominent  part.  On  June  8,  she 
accompanied  the  King  to  a  magnificent  fete  offered  him  by  the 
town  of  Paris  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  to  which  no  less  than  eight 
thousand  guests  had  been  bidden  ;  and,  a  few  days  later,  clad 
in  a  marvellous  toilette  and  blazing  with  diamonds,  opened  a 
grand  ball  at  the  Tuileries  with  the  Duke  of  Northumberland, 
who  had  been  sent  as  Ambassador  Extraordinary  to  the  Sacre. 

1  For  the  legend  of  the  Holy  Ampulla  and  a  full  account  of  the  Sacre  of  a  King 
of  France,  see  the  author's  "  Henri  II.  :  his  Court  and  Times  "  (London,  Methuen  ; 
New  York,  Scribner,  1910). 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  assumes  the  title  of  Madame — The  period  between  the 
coronation  of  Charles  X.  and  the  fall  of  the  Monarchy  that  of  her  greatest  social 
triumphs — The  Chateau  of  Rosny — Her  life  there — Her  kindness  to  the  poor  of  the 
neighbourhood — The  heart  of  the  Due  de  Berry  deposited  in  the  chapel  of  the  hos- 
pital which  she  erects  at  Rosny — Madame  at  Dieppe — The  royal  yacht,  le  Triton — An 
intrepid  sailor — Benevolence  of  Madame — Visit  of  Mademoiselle  to  Dieppe — A  gal- 
lant mayor — Picnic  in  the  valley  of  Arques — The  Due  de  Bordeaux  and  Mademoiselle 
— Anecdotes  of  their  early  years — Admirable  educational  system  of  Madame  de  Gon- 
taut — Anxiety  of  the  gouvernante  to  protect  her  charges  from  flatterers — An  invaluable 
object-lesson — The  Due  de  Bordeaux  leaves  Madame  de  Gontaut's  care  for  that  of  the 
Due  de  Riviere,  who  has  been  appointed  his  gouvemeur — The  nomination  of  the 
duke  and  that  of  Mgr.  Thalin,  Bishop  of  Strasbourg,  to  the  post  of  preceptor,  severely 
criticised  by  the  Opposition  journals — Death  of  the  Due  de  Riviere,  who  is  succeeded 
by  the  Baron  de  Damas. 

WHEN,  on  the  accession  of  Charles  X.,  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  became  Dauphine,  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  succeeded  to  her  title  of  Madame ;  the  Pavil- 
ion de  Marsan  became  the  chateau  of  Madame ;  the  Th£atre- 
Gymnase,  which  she  had  taken  under  her  special  protection, 
assumed  the  name  of  the  Theatre  de  Madame ;  tradesmen 
whom  she  honoured  with  her  patronage  proudly  styled  them- 
selves grocer,  confectioner,  or  wine-merchant  to  Madame}  For 
Madame  was  Queen,  in  everything  but  the  name.  The  five 
years  between  the  coronation  of  Charles  X.  and  the  fall  of  the 
Monarchy  were  the  period  of  her  greatest  triumphs,  and  her 
popularity  seemed  only  to  increase  as  that  of  her  relatives 
declined.  No  balls  or  fetes  made  so  much  stir  as  hers  ;  none 
caused  so  much  money  to  circulate.  "Let  her  go  to  Dieppe 
or  retire  for  a  week  to  Rosny,  the  couturiers  mark  the  days 
on  the  calendar  as  schoolboys  the  approach  of  the  holidays. 
She  returns  ;  countenances  change,  the  first  representations  are 

1  Madame  de  Boigne  states  that  Charles  X.  refused  to  accord  the  title  of  Madame 
to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  that  it  was  "used  only  by  those  attached  to  her  House- 
hold, by  some  familiar  friends,  and  by  those  who  wished  to  curry  favour."  This,  of 
course,  is  quite  untrue. 

Q  225 


226  A  PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE 

announced,  the  new  '  creations '  are  brought  out.  The  Dauphine 
may  remain  at  Vichy,  if  it  please  her ;  no  one  will  raise  any 
objection  to  that.  Let  them  only  see  again  the  little  carriage 
with  the  two  light  sorrels,  the  coachman  and  lackeys  in  the  blue 
livery,  and  they  will  want  work  no  more." x 

The  princess,  indeed,  seems  to  have  lived  in  a  perpetual 
whirl  of  gaiety.  Few  were  the  evenings  on  which  she  was  not 
herself  due  at  some  festive  gathering  that  a  long  line  of  carriages 
did  not  enter  the  inner  court  of  the  Carrousel.  Sometimes,  it 
was  a  dinner-party,  at  others,  a  children's  fete,  or  a  concert,  or 
a  play,  "  commanded  "  at  a  few  hours'  notice  and  performed  on 
a  hastily-improvised  stage,  with  a  row  of  candles  for  footlights 
and  a  Chinese  screen  for  decorations.  But  whatever  form  her 
hospitality  might  take,  her  unaffected  gaiety  and  good-humour, 
her  evident  desire  that  every  one  of  her  guests  should  share  to 
the  full  her  own  enjoyment,  and  the  refreshing  absence  of 
ceremony  which  marked  her  entertainments,  never  failed  to 
create  the  most  favourable  impression ;  and  a  person  would 
have  been  indeed  hard  to  please  who,  after  a  first  visit  to  the 
Pavilion  de  Marsan,  did  not  look  forward  with  pleasure  to  a 
second  invitation. 

The  princess's  devotion  to  the  pleasures  of  the  capital  did 
not  prevent  her  from  spending  a  great  part  of  the  summer  and 
autumn  in  the  country  or  at  the  seaside  ;  indeed,  accustomed 
as  she  had  been  in  her  girlhood  to  a  simple,  open-air  life,  free 
from  all  etiquette  and  constraint,  she  was  much  happier  in  such 
surroundings  than  amid  the  noise  and  bustle  of  Paris  and  the 
wearisome  ceremonial  of  the  Court.  Some  eighteen  months 
before  his  tragic  death,  the  Due  de  Berry,  who  had  shared  his 
wife's  taste  for  country-life,  had  acquired  for  her,  for  the  sum 
of  two  million  francs,  the  chateau  and  estate  of  Rosny,  a  few 
miles  from  Mantes.  The  chateau,  picturesquely  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  wooded  park,  was  a  fine  example  of  the  architecture 
of  the  Henri  Quatre  period.  Built  by  Sully — "our  good  lord 
of  Rosny" — the  faithful  friend  and  minister  of  the  B£arnais, 
who  had  several  times  visited  it,  it  had  remained  in  possession 
of  his  descendants  until  early  in  the  seventeenth  century ;  but 
at  the  time  when  the  Due  de  Berry  acquired  it,  it  was  the  pro- 
perty of  a  M.  Monrouet,  a  rich  merchant  of  Paris. 

The   Duchesse  de  Berry  was  delighted  with    Rosny,  and, 

1   Henri  Bouchot,  le  Luxe  francais  :  le  Restauration. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  227 

since  it  was  only  about  five  hours'  journey  from  the  capital  for 
the  light  carriages  and  fine  horses  of  the  princess's  stables,  she 
visited  it  at  frequent  intervals.  It  was  to  her  what  the  Petit- 
Trianon  had  been  to  Marie  Antoinette — the  place  where  she 
could  lay  aside  all  ceremony  and  live  the  life  of  a  private  person  ; 
to  which  she  could  invite  painters  and  sculptors,  singers,  and 
men  of  letters,  all  those,  in  fact,  whom  the  etiquette  of  the 
Tuileries  did  not  permit  her  to  treat  as  friends  in  Paris  ;  where 
she  could  paint  or  sketch,  hunt  or  fish,  picnic  in  the  adjoining 
forest,  or  romp  with  her  children,  and  forget  that  she  was  the 
second  lady  in  the  land  with  all  sorts  of  tiresome  duties  and 
obligations. 

The  princess  spent  considerable  sums  on  her  Norman  home, 
which  became  one  of  the  most  tastefully  furnished  and  decorated 
chateaux  in  France,  full  of  valuable  paintings,  costly  tapestries, 
and  rare  objets  d'art.  She  also  did  much  for  the  improvement 
of  the  estate,  and  particularly  for  the  village  of  Rosny,  which 
found  itself  completely  transformed,  airy,  comfortable  cottages 
replacing  the  mean,  insanitary  huts  which  had  stood  there  for 
generations.  To  the  poor  she  was  a  veritable  Lady  Bountiful, 
for  not  only  did  she  personally  investigate  every  case  of  distress 
that  came  under  her  notice,  but  arranged  that  all  the  children 
of  necessitous  parents  should  be  brought  up  at  her  expense. 
But  the  most  lasting  monument  to  her  goodness  of  heart  was 
the  erection  of  a  building  which  combined  the  functions  of  a 
hospital  and  an  orphanage,  in  memory  of  her  husband.  In 
March  1824,  she  caused  the  heart  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  which 
had  been  provisionally  deposited  at  the  Abbey  of  Saint-Denis, 
to  be  transferred  to  the  chapel  attached  to  the  hospital,  and 
placed  in  a  marble  tomb.  The  blood-stained  clothes  which  the 
prince  had  worn  at  the  time  of  his  assassination  were  also 
brought  thither,  and  laid  in  an  oaken  chest  in  a  vault  beneath 
the  altar. 

Dieppe  was  second  only  to  Rosny  in  the  affections  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry.  So  delighted  was  she  with  her  first  visit  to 
the  old  Norman  town  that  she  returned  there  the  following 
year,  and  every  year  up  to  1830,  with  the  exception  of  the 
summer  of  1828,  when  she  made  a  tour  through  the  West  of 
France.  During  these  visits  she  refused  to  allow  the  constraints 
of  etiquette  in  any  way  to  interfere  with  her  enjoyment,  and 
spent  nearly  the  whole  of  the  day  in  the  open  air,  bathing, 


228  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

boating,  strolling  along  the  beach  and  the  jetty,  and  taking 
long  walks  or  rides  into  the  country ;  while  in  the  evening  she 
went  to  the  theatre  or  attended  a  ball.  An  excellent  sailor, 
much  of  her  time  was  passed  upon  the  sea,  either  in  a  sloop-of- 
war  which  the  Admiralty  had  placed  at  her  disposal,  or  in  the 
royal  yacht,  le  Triton,  the  most  coquettish  little  vessel  afloat, 
painted  in  white  and  gold,  with  a  gilded  triton  at  the  prow,  and 
a  tiny  chateau  on  the  poop,  which  comprised  three  rooms  :  a 
salon,  a  dining-room,  and  a  bedroom,  sumptuously  upholstered 
and  decorated  in  crimson  and  gold.  For  these  marine  excur- 
sions Madame  had  had  a  special  toilette  designed  ;  a  blouse  of 
black  silk,  a  short  skirt,  high  boots,  and  a  tall  hat  of  cerecloth 
adorned  with  a  gold  anchor.1 

No  matter  how  stormy  the  weather  might  happen  to  be,  she 
could  seldom  be  induced  to  remain  on  shore  ;  indeed,  the  higher 
the  waves  and  the  more  boisterous  the  wind,  the  more  she 
seemed  to  enjoy  herself,  and  clapped  her  hands  with  glee  as  the 
yacht  rose  to  the  billows  and  showers  of  spray  flew  over  the 
deck,  drenching  her  and  her  ladies  to  the  skin.  The  latter,  who 
did  not  share  their  mistress's  partiality  for  the  sea,  often  suffered 
inexpressible  anguish,  and  would  have  cheerfully  given  all  they 
possessed  in  the  world  to  find  themselves  on  terra  firma  again. 
Madame,  however,  knew  no  fear,  and  nothing  seemed  able  to 
ruffle  her  composure.  Once,  at  the  entrance  to  the  harbour, 
the  royal  yacht  was  run  down  by  another  vessel,  and  for  a  few 
moments  they  were  really  in  great  danger.  Her  ladies  gave 
themselves  up  for  lost  and  shrieked  with  terror,  but  the  princess 
only  laughed  at  their  despair,  and  seemed  not  one  whit  perturbed 
by  the  accident. 

Madame  enjoyed  great  popularity  among  the  fishing-popula- 
tion of  Dieppe,  in  whom  she  always  took  the  kindliest  interest. 
One  day,  while  the  fishing-smacks  were  at  sea,  a  terrible  gale 
came  on,  which  placed  them  in  dire  peril.  The  princess, 
accompanied  by  her  ladies,  hastened  down  to  the  jetty,  and 
remained  there,  encouraging  the  rescuers,  until  the  last  of  the 
little  vessels  had  been  brought  into  the  harbour  in  safety. 
Learning  that  one  of  the  crew  had  been  washed  overboard,  she 
immediately  sent  a  message  of  sympathy  and  a  sum  of  money 
to  the  unfortunate  man's  widow,  and  countermanded  a  ball 
which  she  had  proposed  giving  that  evening. 

1  M.  Henri  Bouchot,  le  Luxe  francais  :  la  Restauration. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  229 

The  presence  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Dieppe  not  only 
attracted  to  the  town  a  crowd  of  visitors  and  secured  for  it  a 
popularity  that  it  had  never  before  known,  but  did  much  to 
revive  the  two  industries  for  which  it  had  once  been  noted,  but 
which  of  recent  years  had  been  permitted  to  languish,  carving 
in  ivory  and  lace-making.  Taking  compassion  upon  the  unfor- 
tunate lace-makers,  who,  owing  to  the  decline  of  their  trade,  had 
been  reduced  to  pitiful  straits,  the  princess  charged  herself  with 
the  expense  of  building  a  small  manufactory,  where  the  industry 
was  carried  on  under  the  supervision  of  some  of  the  most  skil- 
ful workers  in  France.  To  this  manufactory  she  gave  every 
year  considerable  orders,  and  exerted  herself  to  such  good 
purpose  to  bring  the  lace  of  Dieppe  into  fashion  again,  that  it 
was  soon  quite  a  flourishing  concern. 

The  poor  of  Dieppe  had  in  the  princess  a  faithful  friend  ; 
they  spoke  of  her  as  "la  bonne  duchesse"  and  she  certainly 
deserved  the  title.  "  I  am  very  fond  of  amusing  myself,"  said 
she,  one  day,  "but  the  poor  must  also  be  considered  "  ;  and  she 
took  care,  whenever  she  gave  a  fete,  that  they  should  not  be 
forgotten. 

During  her  visit  to  Dieppe  in  1827,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
sent  for  her  little  daughter,  who  arrived  in  charge  of  Madame 
de  Gontaut.  An  enthusiastic  reception  awaited  Mademoiselle, 
who  entered  the  town  amid  salvos  of  artillery  and  the  ringing 
of  bells,  and  was  harangued  by  the  sous-prtfet,  whose  com- 
pliments she  acknowledged  in  a  little  speech.  The  adora- 
tion of  the  Dieppois  for  the  little  princess  knew  no  bounds, 
and  the  climax  was  reached  when  the  mayor  caused  to  be 
engraved  on  the  threshold  of  his  house  the  imprint  of  her  foot, 
with  an  inscription  recalling  the  visit  she  had  condescended  to 
pay  him.1 

Mademoiselle  was  greatly  delighted  with  her  stay  at  Dieppe, 
for  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  permitted  her  to  play  about 
the  beach  just  like  other  children,  and  even  to  go  for  donkey 
rides.  One  day,  with  the  idea  of  combining  amusement  and 
instruction,  she  arranged  a  picnic  for  her  in  the  valley  of 
Arques,  where,  in  1589,  Henri  IV.  had  repulsed  the  forces  of 
the  League.  The  party  journeyed  thither  on  donkey-back,  and, 
as  a  compliment  to  Madame  de  Gontaut,  the  breakfast-table 
was  laid  out  upon  the  same  hill  which  Armand  de  Gontaut, 

1  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  Marie -Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry. 


230  A    PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Marechal  de  Biron,  had  so  valiantly  held  against  Mayenne's 
infantry.  Afterwards,  they  visited  the  old  chateau  of  Arques 
— now  no  longer  in  existence — the  cannon  of  which  had  played 
no  inconsiderable  part  in  the  victory.1 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  the  most  devoted  of  mothers, 
and  the  confidence  which  she  reposed  in  Madame  de  Gontaut 
did  not  prevent  her  from  supervising  the  smallest  details  con- 
nected with  the  royal  nursery.  Both  Mademoiselle  and  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux  were  charming  children,  high-spirited,  intelligent, 
and  amiable.  In  character,  the  former  favoured  the  Bourbons, 
having  an  assurance  and  dignity  about  her  which  was  infinitely 
diverting ;  while  the  little  prince,  like  his  mother,  was  affectionate 
and  impulsive.  One  day,  an  old  courtier,  the  Marquis  de 
Bouille,  having  been  admitted  to  pay  his  homage,  took  Made- 
moiselle's hand  and  kissed  the  tips  of  her  fingers.  The  little 
princess,  under  the  impression  that  the  marquis  had  taken  a 
liberty,  immediately  began  to  wipe  her  fingers  furiously  on  her 
pinafore.  The  Due  de  Bordeaux,  perceiving  the  consternation 
of  their  visitor,  held  out  his  own  little  hand  to  be  kissed,  and, 
turning  to  his  sister,  observed  :  "  Thou  seest  that  I  do  not  wipe 
my  fingers ! " 

The  little  prince  showed  from  a  very  early  age  a  marked 
taste  for  everything  military.  His  greatest  pleasure  was  to 
watch  the  soldiers  on  parade,  and  he  looked  forward  eagerly  to 
the  time  when  he  should  be  big  enough  to  command  a  regiment. 
By  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  orders,  everything  was  done  to 
encourage  this  predilection  ;  and  in  his  apartments  at  the 
Tuileries  he  had  a  camp-bed,  a  sentry-box,  trumpets,  flags,  and 
a  whole  arsenal  of  miniature  weapons.  At  five  years  old,  his 
favourite  diversion  was  to  bivouac  in  the  most  approved 
military  fashion.  Clad  in  the  uniform  of  a  grenadier  of  the 
Guard  which  had  been  made  for  him,  with  havresack,  water- 
bottle,  and  other  accoutrements,  he  would  go  out  on  to  the  lawn 
of  the  Elysee,  light  a  fire,  and  proceed  to  make  soup,  which  he 
would  then  send  to  his  mother  for  her  approval.  His  affecta- 
tion of  manly  dignity  was  most  amusing.  Once,  when  playing 
at  soldiers  with  some  young  companions,  he  accidentally 
scratched  the  face  of  one  of  them  with  his  little  sword. 
Madame  de  Gontaut  wished  to  take  it  away  from  him,  but  he 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  MSmoires. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  251 

refused  to  give  it  up.  "  Never,"  said  he,  "  will  I  surrender  my 
sword  to  a  woman ! "  And,  going  up  to  the  officer  of  the 
guard,  he  gravely  handed  the  weapon  to  him. 

The  education  of  the  children  began  in  1823,  and  was  con- 
ducted upon  the  most  liberal  lines.  Besides  French,  they  learned 
English,  German,  and  Italian.  M.  Collard,  who  had  formerly 
been  one  of  the  best  masters  in  the  Institute  of  the  Abbe 
Gaultier,  was  their  French  teacher  ;  a  Mile.  Vauchon,  who  had 
travelled  a  great  deal  in  Germany,  lived  for  a  time  in  Italy, 
and  spoke  both  German  and  Italian  fluently,  gave  them 
instruction  in  these  languages,  and  they  were  taught  English 
by  a  Mile,  della  Torre,  the  daughter  of  an  Italian  nobleman 
who  had  married  an  Englishwoman.  As  Madame  de  Foresta, 
the  sous-gouvernante,  had  died  towards  the  end  of  1821,  it  was 
necessary  to  appoint  a  successor  ;  and  a  Mile,  de  Rivera,  a 
Spanish  lady  of  noble  family,  who  had  been  educated  in  France, 
was  selected.  On  her  appointment,  Charles  X.  created  her 
Comtesse  de  Rivera. 

The  teachers  were  carefully  supervised  by  Madame  de 
Gontaut,  who,  of  course,  herself  undertook  the  moral  training  of 
the  children,  a  task  which  she  performed  with  a  zeal  and 
sagacity  beyond  all  praise.  In  a  long  letter  which  she  wrote 
to  the  Due  de  Riviere,  gouverneur  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  on 
the  day  when  the  little  prince  passed  from  her  charge  into  that 
of  his  gouverneur,  this  admirable  woman  describes  in  detail  the 
system  of  education  which  she  had  followed  with  her  royal 
pupils.  Since  the  system  is  one  which  many  mothers  and 
teachers  might  do  well  to  imitate,  we  will  cite  a  few  passages 
from  her  letter,  which  also  contains  some  interesting  reflections 
on  the  character  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  : 

"  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  of  interest  to  you 
to  know,  in  all  its  details,  the  plan  of  education  pursued  thus 
far. 

"  My  only  method  has  been  constant  watchfulness  :  profiting 
by  every  circumstance  to  improve  and  instruct,  and  never  letting 
slip  the  occasion  of  a  fault  without  encouraging  reflection.  I 
saw  everything,  I  heard  everything ;  nothing  could  possibly  be 
concealed  from  me ;  the  most  minute  details  were  arranged  by 
me  ;  the  faults  even  of  the  instructors  were  watched,  the  slightest 
flattery  checked,  the  truth  scrupulously  and  rigidly  observed. 


232  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

"  Monseigneur  and  Mademoiselle  believe  in  me  blindly, 
because  I  have  never  deceived  them,  even  in  jest.  A  pleasantry 
which  the  mind  of  a  child  cannot  comprehend  embarrasses  him, 
robs  him  of  his  confidence,  humiliates  and  irritates  him  even,  if 
he  believes  that  he  is  being  made  sport  of. 

"  Monseigneur  requires  this  kind  of  treatment  even  more  than 
most  children  ;  the  uprightness  and  generosity  of  his  character 
incline  him  to  take  everything  seriously.  Whenever  he  thinks 
that  any  one  has  injured  another,  the  one  who  has  suffered  be- 
comes at  once  the  object  of  his  liveliest  interest  ;  he  takes  up 
his  defence  with  ardour,  and  does  not  spare  his  reproaches ;  he 
even  displays  on  these  occasions  an  energy  which  is  in  striking 
contrast  to  the  natural  timidity  of  his  character.  With  such  a 
child,  I  have  been  obliged  to  avoid  even  the  shadow  of  an 
injustice. 

"  He  is  very  tenderly  attached  to  Mademoiselle,  and  is  gentle, 
obliging,  and  attentive  to  her.  I  have  always  been  careful  to 
avoid  little  childish  contests  between  their  Royal  Highnesses. 
However  trifling  these  may  appear,  they  are  apt  to  give  rise  to 
disputes,  which  end  by  insensibly  embittering  the  character. 

"  I  have  striven  to  guard  their  Royal  Highnesses  as 
much  as  possible  from  the  danger  of  caprice,  not  permitting 
them  to  alter  a  decision  once  made,  and  invariably  keeping  my- 
self to  those  which  I  have  given. 

"To  obtain  the  confidence  of  Monseigneur  will  require  time, 
tenderness,  and  friendship.  To  me,  the  expression  of  his  face 
indicates  what  is  passing  in  his  mind  ;  he  speaks  little  of  his 
feelings  ;  he  has  great  sensitiveness,  but  remarkable  self-control 
for  his  age.     I  have  seen  him  suffer  without  complaining. 

"  I  have  been  struck  by  the  efforts  which  he  has  made  to 
overcome  a  timidity  which  I  have  been  at  especial  pains  to 
conquer.  I  have  succeeded  in  making  him  understand  the 
necessity  for  a  prince  to  be  able  to  talk  to  strangers  in  a  noble, 
gracious,  and  intelligent  manner.  I  have  always  endeavoured 
to  deprive  him  of  all  pretext  for  concealing  his  faults  ;  shyness 
leads  imperceptibly  to  dissimulation  and  falsehood.  I  am  glad 
to  be  able  to  affirm  that  Monseigneur  is  scrupulously  truthful. 

"  I  have  thought  it  necessary,  on  account  of  the  quickness  of 
his  temper  and  the  high  position  which  awaits  him,  to  teach 
him  to  think  before  acting.  The  word  '  justice '  has  a  veritable 
charm  for  him.     I  have  never  known  a  more  upright  character. 


MARIE   CAROLINE.    DUCHESSE   I)E    BERRY,    WITH    HER   CHILDREN, 

THE    DUC    DE    BORDEAUX    (AFTERWARDS    THE   COMTE    DE    CHAM- 

BORD)  AND    MADEMOISELLE 

FROM    AN    ENGRAVING    BV    DELANNOY,    AFTER   THE    PAINTING    BY    F.  GERARD 


A   PRINCESS   OF    ADVENTURE  233 

"  The  method  of  teaching  by  means  of  amusement  is  the 
fashion  now  ;  but  it  appears  to  me  to  lead  to  an  education 
altogether  superficial,  and  that  is  not  what  I  have  striven  for. 
The  teacher  ought  to  explain  what  is  necessary,  but  he  should 
allow  the  pupil  to  exert  himself,  for  he  must  learn  early  the 
difficulties  of  life  and  accustom  himself  to  overcome  them. 

"A  little  prince  exposed  to  flattery  runs  a  great  risk  of 
being  considered  an  infant  prodigy.  To  obviate  this  difficulty, 
Monseigneur  and  Mademoiselle  have  often  shared  their  courses 
with  children  of  nearly  the  same  age.  I  have  tried  in  this  way 
to  accustom  them  to  see  success  in  others  without  envy,  and  to 
obtain  it  without  vanity.  I  have  exercised  particular  care  to 
admit  to  this  intimacy  in  their  studies  and  games  only  such 
children  as  were  well  and  carefully  brought  up,  and  even  those 
of  whom  I  have  felt  the  most  sure  were  carefully  watched. 

"  In  order  to  create  between  the  royal  children  a  useful 
emulation  and  fix  their  attention,  I  made  it  a  rule  that,  in  their 
lessons,  and  particularly  in  their  courses,  counters  should  be 
given  as  a  reward  for  correct  answers,  and  should  be  taken 
away  for  faults  of  memory  and  judgment.  At  the  end  of  each 
month,  the  King  and  Madame  pay  for  the  counters,  and  the 
money  is  devoted  to  charitable  objects,  such  as  clothing  poor 
men,  women,  and  children.  These  charities  were  always  reserved 
for  the  festivals  of  Saint-Louis  and  Saint-Henri.  On  these  two 
days,  distributions  were  made  to  indigent  people,  selected  by 
the  Sisters  of  Charity.  .  .  Last  year,  three  hundred  francs  were 
wanting  to  make  up  to  the  sum  for  this  charity.  Monseigneur 
and  Mademoiselle  asked  that  they  might  do  double  lessons,  and 
in  a  few  days  they  had  earned  this  small  sum,  so  much  zeal  and 
ardour  did  these  amiable  children  employ  to  obtain  it. 

"  I  have  tried,  at  all  times,  to  imbue  Monseigneur's  mind 
with  the  principles  of  religion  ;  I  have  made  use  of  it  as  a  check, 
I  have  presented  it  as  a  hope.  Being  of  opinion  that  the 
prince's  tender  age  did  not  yet  permit  of  dogmatic  instruction,  I 
leave  to  more  skilful  hands  a  task  which  is  more  proper  for 
them  than  for  me." 

Madame  de  Gontaut's  greatest  anxiety  was  to  protect  her 
charges  from  the  snares  of  flattery,  always  so  much  to  be 
dreaded  in  the  case  of  royal  children.  "  In  accustoming  them 
to  the  society  of  select  and  distinguished  persons,"  she  writes  in 


234  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

her  MimoireS)  "  it  was  necessary  not  only  to  teach  them  to  be 
courteous,  but  also  to  make  them  appreciate,  at  its  true  value, 
the  worth  of  praise  earned  and  deserved — a  lesson  so  useful  to 
princes  ;  and,  above  all,  I  desired  to  place  them  on  their  guard 
against  flattery,  which  is  so  sweet  to  the  ear,  but  so  injurious  to 
the  heart.  This  difficult  task  was  a  source  of  great  embarrass- 
ment to  me,  when  chance  offered  me  a  precious  opportunity 
of  giving  them  the  lesson  which  I  had  in  mind." 

She  then  relates  how  one  day,  during  recreation-time,  she 
was  informed  that  some  persons  who  had  been  recommended 
to  her  requested  to  be  allowed  to  see  their  Royal  Highnesses. 
The  gouvernante,  feeling  that  she  could  not  refuse,  sent  for  the 
children.  The  latter,  cross  at  being  obliged  to  leave  their  games, 
were  not  very  communicative,  but,  nevertheless,  received  a  perfect 
avalanche  of  compliments,  their  amiability,  their  beauty,  their 
complexions,  and  even  their  hair,  all  being  the  subject  of  the 
most  extravagant  praise.  These  exaggerations  embarrassed  the 
children  and  greatly  displeased  Madame  de  Gontaut,  who  cut 
short  the  interview  as  quickly  as  possible.  As  the  strangers 
were  leaving,  a  half-open  door  gave  the  gouvernante  and  her 
charges  an  opportunity  of  hearing  their  conversation. 

"  It  was  really  not  worth  while  to  come  so  far  to  see  so 
little,"  remarked  an  old  lady,  in  a  dissatisfied  tone.  "  I  should 
think  not,"  said  a  big  boy ;  "  they  had  hardly  two  words  to  say 
to  thank  papa  and  mamma  for  all  the  compliments  they  showered 
upon  them.  You  made  me  laugh,  papa,  when  you  said  :  '  What 
a  lovely  complexion  and  what  beautiful  hair  ! '  She  is  as  pale 
as  an  egg  and  cropped  like  a  boy ! "  "  That  is  quite  true," 
rejoined  the  old  lady  who  had  first  spoken.  "Doctor,  she 
would  be  the  better  for  one  of  your  medicines.  And  then, 
besides,  they  are  very  small  for  their  age."  "  Did  you  see  the 
governess  ? "  said  the  big  boy  again.  "  She  was  not  pleased 
when  you  complimented  her  on  the  sweet  disposition  of  her 
pupils  ;  and,  all  the  time,  I  noticed  that  they  were  teasing  one 
another.     But  they  received  compliments  enough,  any  way." 

The  rest  of  the  conversation  was  lost  in  the  distance. 

The  poor  children,  who  had  heard  every  word,  were  petrified 
with  astonishment.  "  Oh !  how  wicked  they  are  !  "  they  cried. 
"They  are  simply  flatterers,"  replied  Madame  de  Gontaut. 
"  But  they  kept  praising  us  so,  and  they  said  over  and  over 
again  that  we  were  so  pretty,  for  I  heard  them  perfectly  well !  " 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  235 

exclaimed  Mademoiselle.  "  And  then  to  wish  to  give  me 
medicine,  because  they  thought  me  pale  and  ugly !  Oh !  it  is 
too  much !  Now  I  understand  at  last  what  flattery  means :  it 
means  saying  the  exact  opposite  of  the  truth  ;  but  it  is  a 
wicked  thing,  and  I  shall  always  remember  it." 

"  This  lesson,"  concludes  Madame  de  Gontaut,  "  was  provi- 
dential. I  could  never  have  made  them  understand  as  they 
both  did  now."  1 

In  accordance  with  the  ancient  custom  of  the  Royal  House 
of  France,  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  remained  under  the  care  of 
Madame  de  Gontaut  until  the  commencement  of  his  seventh 
year,  at  which  age  he  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  gouvemeur, 
the  Due  de  Riviere,  who  was  henceforth  to  superintend  his 
education.  On  October  15,  1826,  the  little  prince  was  formally 
delivered  into  the  care  of  the  duke  by  Charles  X.,  in  the  Salle 
du  Trone  at  Saint-Cloud,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  members  of 
the  Royal  Family  and  the  grand  officers  of  the  Crown.  After 
the  boy  had  been  examined  by  the  Court  doctors,  who  pro- 
nounced him  to  be  in  perfect  health,  the  King  called  the  new 
gouvemeur  and  said  to  him  :  "  Due  de  Riviere,  I  give  you  a 
great  proof  of  esteem  and  confidence  in  remitting  to  your  care 
the  education  of  the  child  whom  Providence  has  given  us,  who 
is  also  the  Child  of  France.  You  will  bring,  I  am  sure,  to  these 
important  functions  a  zeal  and  a  prudence  which  will  give  you 
a  claim  to  my  gratitude,  to  that  of  the  family,  and  to  that  of 
France." 

Then  his  Majesty  turned  towards  Madame  de  Gontaut,  who 
had  just  been  raised  to  the  rank  of  duchess,  as  a  reward  for  her 
services,  thanked  her  for  the  pains  she  had  bestowed  upon  the 
education  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  and  begged  her  to  establish 
new  claims  to  his  gratitude,  by  continuing  and  completing  that 
of  Mademoiselle. 

Simultaneously  with  the  Due  de  Riviere's  nomination  to 
the  post  of  gouvemeur,  the  King  named  as  sous-gouverncurs 
the  Marquis  de  Barbencois  and  the  Comte  de  Maupas.  Mgr. 
Thalin,  Bishop  of  Strasbourg,  was  appointed  preceptor,  and  the 
Abbe  Martin  dt  Noirlieu,  Almoner  of  the  Ecole  Polytechnique, 
and  M.  de  Barande  assistant-preceptors.  Though  both  the 
gouvemeur  and  preceptor  were  loyal  and  worthy  men,  their 
selection,  from  a  political  point  of  view,  was  most    unfortunate. 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoir:  s. 


236  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Riviere  was  regarded  by  the  public  as  a  servile  associate  of  the 
Church  party,  while  the  Bishop  of  Strasbourg  was  an  avowed 
friend  of  the  Jesuits.  "In  their  hands,  the  Due  de  Bordeaux 
appeared  like  a  hostage  given  by  the  Monarchy  to  the  priest- 
hood " ;  *  and  the  Opposition  journals,  in  publishing  the  nomina- 
tions, declared  that  they  were  "  confounded  by  such  imprudence 
and  afflicted  by  such  blindness." 

Whatever  opinion  might  be  held  of  the  wisdom  of  committing 
a  future  King  of  France  to  the  care  of  a  nobleman  of  such  pro- 
nounced political  views,  the  Due  de  Riviere  proved  a  most 
devoted  guardian.  He  scarcely  ever  quitted  his  pupil's  side,  by 
day  or  night,  slept  in  his  chamber,  and  was  only  once  known 
to  accept  an  invitation  to  dinner.  He  did  not,  however,  long 
survive  his  appointment,  as  he  died  in  the  early  spring  of  1828. 
During  his  illness,  which  lasted  several  weeks,  the  little  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  who  had  become  much  attached  to  his  gouverneur, 
was  very  sad.  One  day,  when  he  learned  that  the  sick  man 
had  passed  a  bad  night,  he  said  to  his  sister :  "  Ah  well !  let  us 
play  to-day  the  games  which  do  not  amuse  us ! "  Another  day, 
when  a  trifling  improvement  in  the  duke's  condition  was 
announced,  he  declared  his  intention  of  celebrating  it  by  an 
illumination,  and,  although  it  was  the  middle  of  the  day, 
proceeded  to  light  all  the  candles  in  the  salon.2 

The  Due  de  Riviere  was  succeeded  by  the  Baron  de  Damas, 
who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  Spanish  expedition,  and 
had  been  first  Minister  for  War  and  afterwards  for  Foreign 
Affairs  in  the  Villele  Government.  The  baron  was  a  brave 
soldier  and  a  worthy  man,  who  fulfilled  his  duties  with  as  much 
zeal  and  devotion  as  his  predecessor ;  but  his  views  were  even 
more  extreme,  and  during  the  Revolution  and  the  Empire  he 
had  served  in  the  ranks  of  the  Russian  army,  a  circumstance 
which  did  not  tend  to  increase  the  popularity  of  the  appointment, 
which  was  most  severely  criticised. 

1  Lamartine. 

2  Imbert  de  Saint- Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Cour  de  Charles  X. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

Tour  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  in  the  West  of  France — Visit  to  Chambord— 
Frenzied  enthusiasm  of  the  Vendeens  at  Saint-Florent — Sainte-Anne  d'Auray — 
Madame  in  the  Bocage — Reception  at  Bordeaux — Her  stay  in  the  Pyrenees — Her 
campaign  of  1832  the  natural  consequence  of  the  impressions  concerning  the  loyalty 
of  Western  France  which  she  had  conceived  during  this  tour — Decline  of  the 
popularity  of  Charles  X. — The  review  of  April  29,  1827 — "A  das  les  jesuitesses  / " — 
Disbanding  of  the  National  Guard— Fall  of  the  Villele  Government— The 
Martignac  Ministry — Incurable  illusions  of  the  King  as  to  the  true  sentiments  of  the 
nation. 

THE  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  long  desired  to  make  a 
tour  in  the  West  of  France ;  and  in  the  summer  of 
1828  she  determined  to  undertake  it.  On  June  16, 
accompanied  by  the  Duchesse  de  Reggio,  the  Marquise  de 
Podenas,  dame  pour  accompagner,  and  the  Comte  de  Mesnard, 
she  left  Paris,  and  arrived  two  days  later  at  Chambord,  where 
she  was  received  by  the  Comte  Adrien  de  Calonne,  who,  it  will 
be  remembered,  had  first  conceived  the  project  of  the  national 
subscription,  thanks  to  which  this  historic  chateau  had  become 
the  property  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux.  She  entered  the 
chateau  by  the  Place  d'Armes  and  the  Porte-Royale.  Above 
the  gateway  she  read  the  following  greeting  : — 

"  Ce  vieux  sejour  des  rois  pleurait  le  long  outrage 
Dont  le  temps  a  terni  son  antique  splendeur, 
Mais,  comme  un  jour  serein  perce  un  sombre  nuage, 
Tu  parais,  tu  lui  rends  l'espoir  et  le  bonheur." 

The  princess  was  enchanted  with  Chambord.  She  visited 
the  apartments  of  Francois  I.  and  Louis  XIV. ;  admired  the 
inlaid  floors  and  the  sculptured  wainscots  ;  mounted  the  famous 
double  staircase  to  the  platform  of  the  lantern,  the  highest  point 
of  the  chateau,  which  commands  a  magnificent  view  over  the 
immense  park,  and,  before  descending,  inscribed  there  with  a 
gimlet  her  name  and  the  date.  Finally,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Bishop  of  Blois,  who  had  come  to  bestow  his  episcopal  blessing 
upon  the  work  of  restoration,  she  laid  the  first  stone  of  the  new 

237 


238  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

works,  with  an  auger  and  trowel  which  had  been  specially 
made  for  the  occasion,  and  which  the  bishop  solemnly  presented 
to  her. 

On  leaving  Chambord,  Madame  proceeded  to  Blois,  where 
she  was  shown  the  Salle  des  Etats,  the  room  in  which  Henri  de 
Lorraine,  Due  de  Guise,  had  been  assassinated,  and  the  tower 
where  Catherine  de'  Medici  used  to  consult  the  astrologers.  On 
June  21,  she  arrived  at  Saumur,  where  she  assisted  at  a  military 
tournament  which  the  School  of  Cavalry  gave  in  her  honour 
and  presented  the  prizes.  The  next  day  saw  her  at  Angers, 
passing  through  avenues  of  triumphal  arches,  and  on  the  22nd 
she  reached  Saint-Florent,  the  little  town  which,  in  1793,  had 
given  the  signal  for  the  rising  of  la  Vendue,  and  where 
the  Vend^en  army  had  operated  its  celebrated  passage  of  the 
Loire. 

Madame  was  escorted  across  the  river  by  a  flotilla  of  gaily- 
decorated  boats,  and,  on  disembarking,  found  herself  in  the 
midst  of  a  camp  of  five  thousand  armed  Vendeens,  all  of  whom 
had  taken  part  in  the  terrible  war  of  1793  or  in  the  insurrection 
of  18 1 5  against  Napoleon.  The  most  frenzied  enthusiasm 
prevailed  ;  the  whole  population  of  the  town  and  of  the  sur- 
rounding villages  seemed  to  have  assembled  to  welcome  her; 
and  white  banners  waved  from  the  houses,  the  belfries  of  the 
churches,  the  tallest  trees,  and  even  from  the  cemeteries  where 
the  heroic  dead  reposed,  as  though  inviting  them  to  rejoice  that 
a  princess  of  the  House  for  which  they  had  laid  down  their 
lives  had  come  to  render  homage  to  their  fidelity. 

The  duchess  visited  the  church  of  Saint-Florent,  where  she 
heard  Mass,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  the  tombs  of  the  Vendeen 
leaders  Cathelineau  and  Bonchamp,  whose  widow  was  presented 
to  her,  and  then  embarked  on  a  steamer  and  proceeded  down 
the  Loire  to  Nantes.  The  inhabitants  of  the  villages  on  either 
bank  greeted  her  with  loud  acclamations  and  the  waving  of 
white  banners  as  she  passed ;  and  such  was  their  eagerness  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  mother  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  that, 
wherever  the  river  was  too  broad  to  permit  them  to  distinguish 
her  features,  they  had  overcome  the  difficulty  by  building  a 
sort  of  pier  of  boats,  extending  far  out  into  the  stream. 

Nantes  was  reached  at  seven  o'clock,  and  since  the  Prefecture, 
at  which  she  was  to  stay,  was  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
wharf,  she  proceeded  thither  on   foot,  followed   by  a  cheering 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  239 

crowd.  The  following  day,  she  received  the  municipal  authorities 
and  several  deputations,  and  then  left  for  Savenay,  where  she 
saw  the  monument  erected  to  the  victims  of  the  retreat  of 
December  1793.  On  the  24th,  she  repaired  to  Sainte-Anne 
d'Auray,  a  spot  venerated  by  every  pious  Breton,  and  presented 
a  beautifully-chased  silver  lamp  to  the  chapel.  Naturally,  she 
did  not  fail  to  visit  the  "  Champ  des  Martyrs "  where,  thirty- 
three  years  before,  the  e'migre's  taken  at  Quiberon  had  been  shot 
in  cold  blood.  When  the  princess  knelt  to  pray  before  the 
mausoleum  erected  to  their  memory,  the  crowd  which  had 
gathered  to  welcome  her  chanted  the  De  Profundis. 

After  visiting  Lorient  and  Rennes,  on  June  28  Madame  re- 
turned to  Nantes.  She  reviewed  the  troops  of  the  garrison, 
made  the  round  of  the  convents,  factories,  and  hospitals,  and 
attended  a  splendid  ball  which  was  given  in  her  honour.  Then, 
after  a  visit  to  the  Comtesse  de  Charette,  sister-in-law  of  the 
celebrated  Vendeen  chief,  at  la  Tremiceniere,  she  entered  the 
Bocage,  as  the  interior  of  la  Vendee  is  called. 

In  this  wild  tract  of  country  most  of  the  roads  were  im- 
practicable for  carriages,  and  she  had  therefore  to  travel  on 
horseback.  The  princess,  however,  was  an  admirable  horse- 
woman, and,  dressed  in  a  green  riding-habit — the  colour  of  the 
Vendeen  uniform — and  a  grey  felt  hat  with  a  gauze  veil,  she 
rode  from  village  to  village,  accepting  with  equal  graciousness 
the  hospitality  of  both  noble  and  peasant ;  visiting  the  battle- 
fields ;  laying  the  foundation-stones  of  monuments  intended  to 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  heroes  of  1793  and  1815  ; 
assisting  at  rustic  fetes,  and  delighting  great  and  humble  alike 
by  her  affability,  her  good-humour,  which  made  light  of  all  the 
inconveniences  to  which  she  was  obliged  to  submit,  her 
genuine  interest  in  their  troublous  but  glorious  past,  and  her 
naive  pleasure  at  their  testimonies  of  loyalty  and  devotion. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  second  week  in  July,  she  left 
la  Vendee,  and  journeyed  southwards  by  way  of  Lucon, 
la  Rochelle,  Rochefort  and  Blaye  (Ah !  how  little  did  she 
imagine  that  its  citadel,  whose  guns  were  now  thundering  in 
her  honour,  would  one  day  serve  for  her  prison  !)  to  Bordeaux, 
where  she  arrived  on  October  14.  The  "  faithful  city "  gave 
her,  as  might  be  expected,  a  magnificent  reception.  When,  on 
the  evening  of  her  arrival,  she  attended  a  gala  performance  at 
the  theatre,  the  applause  was  positively  deafening  ;  the  statue 


240  A   PRINCESS   OF    ADVENTURE 

of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  crowned  with  laurels,  was  borne  in 
triumph  on  to  the  stage,  and  a  cantata  in  honour  of  mother  and 
son  was  sung  : — 

"  Qu'un  orgueil  pur  et  legitime 
Brille  sur  ton  front  triomphant, 
Bordeaux  !     C'est  la  mere  sublime 
De  ton  miraculeux  enfant  !  etc.,  etc." 

On  the  1 8th,  she  left  Bordeaux,  and  on  the  following  day 
arrived  at  Pau,  where  she  visited  the  chateau,  in  which  Henri  IV. 
was  born,  and  was  shown  his  cradle.  At  Pau,  she  remained  for 
several  days,  and  then,  having  assumed  the  green  and  white 
beretta  and  red  sash  of  the  Bearnese  peasantry,  continued 
her  journey  to  Bayonne,  where  another  splendid  welcome 
awaited  her. 

Madame  remained  several  weeks  in  the  Pyrenees,  most  of 
the  time  being  passed  at  Bagneres-de-Luchon,  from  which  she 
made  frequent  excursions,  climbing  the  most  difficult  peaks  with 
a  courage  which  delighted  the  mountaineers.  On  September  19, 
she  set  out  on  her  return  journey,  and  travelled  by  way  of  Tou- 
louse, Montauban,  Cahors,  Limoges,  and  Orleans  to  Paris,  where 
she  arrived  on  October  1. 

Her  tour  which  had  lasted  three  and  a  half  months  had 
been  one  long  ovation  ;  everywhere  she  had  been  welcomed  with 
the  utmost  enthusiasm  ;  everywhere  she  had  received  the  most 
prodigal  assurances  of  loyalty  and  affection.  Poor  princess  ! 
How  could  she  know  that  those  triumphal  arches,  those 
magnificent  fetes,  those  flattering  odes,  those  thunderous 
cheers,  were  but  the  tribute  which  an  emotional  nation  is 
always  ready  to  pay  to  the  idol  of  the  hour  ?  How  could  she 
know  that  when,  in  her  day  of  trial,  she  should  call  upon  the 
same  people  who  had  welcomed  her  so  rapturously  to  translate 
their  protestations  of  fidelity  into  deeds,  she  should  find  all 
save  the  Vend£ens,  not  only  cold  and  indifferent,  but  positively 
hostile  ?  As  it  was,  the  magnificent  reception  she  had  received 
left  upon  her  mind  the  most  profound  impression,  and  convinced 
her  that,  come  what  might,  the  loyalty  of  the  western  provinces 
was  unshakable.  Her  campaign  of  1832  was,  in  fact,  the 
natural  and  logical  consequence  of  the  tour  of  1828. 

If  in  the  western  departments  no  sign  of  disaffection  was  as 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  241 

yet  apparent,  in  Paris  the  popularity  of  Charles  X.,  so  great  at 
the  beginning  of  his  reign,  was  declining  every  day.  The 
Opposition,  it  is  true,  did  not  as  yet  dare  to  assail  the  King 
personally,  and  confined  the  expression  of  its  resentment  at  his 
Majesty's  increasing  subservience  to  the  "  priestly  party "  to 
bitter  denunciations  of  his  Ministers,  but  the  public  made  no 
pretence  of  distinguishing  between  them.  In  the  streets,  no 
matter  how  amiably  the  King  might  smile  upon  his  subjects, 
few  acclamations  greeted  him,  and  he  returned  to  the  Tuileries 
deeply  mortified  by  the  coldness  of  his  reception.  At  the 
theatres — where,  to  recall  a  remark  of  Napoleon,  one  felt  the 
pulse  of  public  opinion — any  hostile  allusion  to  royalty  was 
always  sure  of  a  round  of  applause.  In  the  salons,  clear- 
sighted people  shook  their  heads  and  observed  that  history  was 
repeating  itself,  and  that  the  Bourbons  would  end  like  the 
Stuarts. 

But  the  King,  in  his  fatal  blindness,  could  not  bring  himself 
to  recognise  the  danger  of  the  course  he  was  pursuing,  and 
attributed  his  growing  unpopularity  to  the  intrigues  of  the 
Liberal  party  and  the  persistent  misrepresentation  of  the 
journals.  In  the  early  spring  of  1827,  the  Government  sub- 
mitted to  the  Chambers  the  famous  " loi  d1  amour"  a  measure 
which  was  nothing  less  than  the  suppression  of  the  liberty  of  the 
Press  ;  but  the  outcry  against  it  was  so  violent  that  they  were 
compelled  to  withdraw  it  (April  17).  A  few  days  later  (April  29), 
Charles  X.  held  the  annual  review  of  the  National  Guard  in  the 
Champ  de  Mars.  While  riding  along  the  ranks  of  the  seventh 
legion,  he  was  greeted  with  cries  of  "  Vive  la  Charte  !  "  The  King, 
until  that  moment  all  smiles  and  good-humour,  changed  counte- 
nance and  frowned  angrily.  "  What !  "  cried  a  National  Guard 
who  was  standing  near  him,  "  does  your  Majesty  then  consider 
the  cry  of '  Vive  la  Charte  ! '  an  insult  ?  "  "  Gentlemen,"  replied 
the  King,  sternly,  "  I  have  come  here  to  receive  homage,  and  not 
lessons."  This  answer  produced  a  good  effect ;  the  troops 
shouted  "  Vive  le  Roi  !  "  and  the  review  passed  off  without  further 
unpleasantness.  But  when  the  King  and  his  staff  had  departed, 
and  the  Dauphine  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  were  accused 
by  the  public  of  great  complaisance  for  the  clergy,  were  prepar- 
ing to  follow,  they  were  assailed  by  angry  shouts  of  "  A  bas  les 
ministres  !  a  bas  les  j estates  !  a  bas  les  jesuitesses  !  "  And  one 
of  the  legions  on  its  way  back  to  barracks  indulged  in  hostile 


242  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

demonstrations  before  the  windows  of  the  Ministries  of  Finance 
and  Justice. 

In  consequence  of  these  manifestations,  Charles  X.,  on  the 
advice  of  Villele  and  the  majority  of  the  Ministers,  decided  to 
disband  the  National  Guard,  by  which  step  he  not  only  pro- 
claimed to  all  France  the  unpopularity  of  the  Crown  with  the 
citizens  of  the  capital,  but  inflicted  a  bitter  humiliation  upon  a 
great  force  of  armed  and  disciplined  men,  the  vast  majority  of 
whom  had  up  to  this  moment  been  at  heart  perfectly  loyal. 
The  re-establishment  of  the  censorship  of  the  Press  further 
increased  the  unpopularity  of  the  King  and  his  advisers. 

In  the  autumn,  the  King  created  a  batch  of  seventy-six  new 
peers, — all  avowed  reactionaries — and,  in  the  delusive  hope  of 
obtaining  in  the  Lower  House  a  majority  favourable  to  his 
policy,  dissolved  the  Chambers.  The  elections,  however,  proved 
disastrous  to  the  Government,  and  Villele,  faced  with  the  alter- 
native of  a  coup  d'Etat,  or  resignation,  had  sufficient  good  sense 
to  choose  the  latter  course.. 

His  Ministry  was  succeeded,  in  the  first  days  of  1828,  by  a 
cabinet  of  moderate  Royalists,  equally  loyal  to  the  Crown  and 
the  Charter,  under  the  leadership  of  the  Vicomte  de  Martignac, 
a  man  of  great  probity  and  considerable  ability,  who  had  been 
initiated  into  affairs  of  State  by  the  late  Due  de  Richelieu,  and, 
like  him,  was  sincerely  desirous  of  reconciling  the  Monarchy  and 
the  people.  The  Due  de  Berry's  old  friend,  La  Ferronays,  was 
Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

By  the  removal  of  the  censorship  of  the  Press,  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  Jesuit  seminaries,  and  other  concessions  to  Liberal 
opinion,  the  new  Government  did  not  a  little  to  restore  the 
waning  popularity  of  the  Crown,  while  abroad  it  upheld  the 
honour  of  France  by  the  occupation  of  the  Morea,  which  assured 
the  triumph  of  Greek  independence.  But  it  led  a  painful  exist- 
ence, forced  as  it  was  to  combat  the  extremists  on  both  sides  ; 
while  the  King  disliked  both  Martignac  and  his  policy,  and  gave 
him  only  a  feeble  and  intermittent  support.  During  the  late 
summer  of  1828,  Charles  X.  paid  a  visit  to  Alsace  and  Lorraine, 
visiting  Metz,  Strasbourg,  and  other  important  towns.  He  met 
with  a  splendid  reception,  which  served  to  aggravate  the  incur- 
able illusions  which  he  entertained  as  to  the  true  sentiments  of 
the  nation,  for  he  attributed  the  enthusiasm  of  the  inhabitants 
to  their  personal  attachment  to  himself,  whereas  it  was  largely 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  243 

an  expression  of  satisfaction  at  the  more  liberal  policy  which 
had  lately  been  inaugurated.  From  that  moment,  he  thought 
only  of  getting  rid  of  the  Ministry  which  stood  between  him 
and  ruin,  and  replacing  it  by  one  which  would  be  prepared  to 
govern  in  conformity  with  his  own  ideas. 


CHAPTER   XX 

The  Carnival  of  1829 — The  Mary  Stuart  ball — Calumny  concerning  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  and  her  first  equerry,  the  Comte  de  Mesnard — Last  visit  of  Madame  to  Dieppe 
— Madame  and  the  Orleans  family — Project  of  marriage  between  the  Due  de  Chartres 
and  Mademoiselle — Journey  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  the  South  of  France  to  meet 
the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies — Critical  condition  of  affairs — The  Martignac 
Ministry  is  dismissed,  and  succeeded  by  one  of  avowed  reactionaries  under  the  leader- 
ship of  the  Prince  Jules  de  Polignac — Widespread  indignation  and  alarm — The 
"Address  of  the  221  " — The  King  prorogues,  and  then  dissolves  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies — Visit  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies  to  Paris — The  ball  at  the 
Palais-Royal. 


A1 


LL  unconscious  of  the  terrible  change  which  a  little 
more  than  a  year  was  to  effect  in  her  fortunes,  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  plunged  with  renewed  zest  into 
the  gaieties  of  the  capital.  The  Carnival  of  1829  was  a  most 
brilliant  one  ;  an  unusual  number  of  distinguished  foreigners 
were  visiting  Paris,  England  being  particularly  well  represented, 
and  Society  surpassed  itself  in  the  splendour  and  novelty  of 
the  fetes  which  it  offered  them. 

During  the  preceding  winter,  Madame  had  given  two  balls, 
each  of  which  had  been  a  great  success.  The  first  was  a  "  bal 
candide,"  at  which  all  the  ladies  had  appeared  dressed  entirely 
in  white,  with  high,  powdered  coiffures  ;  the  second  was  a  "  bal 
turc"  at  which  the  costumes  of  the  Orient  had  been  worn. 
Encouraged  by  these  triumphs,  she  now  determined  to  organise 
a  fete  which  should  altogether  eclipse  her  previous  efforts  and 
be  the  talk  of  all  fashionable  Paris. 

Early  in  1829,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  attended  a  costume- 
ball  given  by  Madame  de  Gontaut,  at  which  the  guests  had 
appeared  as  personages  of  the  later  Valois  period.  This  ball 
had,  it  would  appear,  been  in  a  great  measure  inspired  by  Dumas 
peres  Henri  III.  et  sa  cour,  which  had  been  recently  produced 
at  the  Th^atre-Francais  with  costumes  and  accessories  of  un- 
usual splendour.  The  history  of  France  was  at  this  time 
dethroning  the  Pompeys  and  Pharaohs  of  the  First  Empire ;  but 
it  must  not  be  supposed  that  all  the  ladies  adopted  the  Valois 

244 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  245 

dress  for  the  mere  pleasure  of  displaying  a  national  erudition. 
No  ;  it  was  because  the  lords  and  ladies  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury had  worn  the  leg-of-mutton  sleeve,  and  the  leg-of-mutton 
sleeve  had  made  its  appearance  in  the  modes,  and  all  the  mer- 
veilleuses  were  in  raptures  over  this  novelty.1 

Much  delighted  by  what  she  saw  at  Madame  de  Gontaut's, 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  forthwith  resolved  to  repeat  the  experi- 
ment, of  course,  on  an  infinitely  grander  scale,  and  to  revive 
for  a  few  hours  the  whole  Court  of  the  Valois,  during  the  brief 
reign  of  Mary  Stuart  The  idea  was  received  with  enthusiasm, 
and  the  Cabinet  des  Estampes  at  the  Bibliotheque-Royale  was 
besieged  all  day  long  by  fashionable  ladies  demanding  prints 
and  drawings  which  illustrated  the  costume  of  the  period  to  be 
represented.  Some  of  these  fair  dames  were  highly  indignant 
when  the  harassed  officials  explained  that  an  order  from  the 
Minister  for  the  Fine  Arts  was  required  before  they  could  be 
permitted  to  carry  them  off  to  show  to  their  modistes  and 
milliners,  and  argued  that,  however  proper  such  a  rule  might  be 
for  the  general  public,  it  could  not  possibly  be  intended  to 
apply  to  ladies  of  rank.  Finding  the  officials  inexorable,  they 
departed  in  search  of  the  Minister,  who  spent  a  busy  time 
signing  the  orders  that  were  demanded  of  him. 

The  event  so  eagerly  anticipated  took  place  on  Shrove-Mon- 
day,  March  2,  in  the  apartments  of  the  Children  of  France  at  the 
Pavilion  de  Marsan,  the  episode  chosen  being  the  arrival  of  Marie 
de  Lorraine,  widow  of  James  V.  of  Scotland,  at  the  Court  of 
France,  to  visit  her  daughter,  Mary  Stuart.  The  interest  which 
it  aroused  had  been  increased  by  the  fact  that  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  had  conceived  the  happy  idea  that,  wherever  possible, 
the  nobles  of  the  Courts  of  France  and  Scotland  should  be 
represented  by  their  descendants.  Thus,  the  Comtes  de 
Brissac,  de  Cosse,  and  de  Biron  represented  the  three  marshals 
whose  names  they  bore  ;  the  Comte  Charles  de  Mornay  ap- 
peared as  Duplessis-Mornay,  with  a  doublet  and  a  sword 
which  had  actually  been  worn  by  his  celebrated  ancestor ; 
the  Marquis  of  Douglas,  afterwards  Duke  of  Hamilton,  as  the 
Duke  of  Chatellerault-Hamilton,  and  so  forth.  The  Duchesse 
de  Berry  herself,  of  course,  personified  Mary  Stuart ;  the  Due 
de  Chartres,  now  a  handsome  youth  in  his  nineteenth  year, 
Francois  II.  ;    Lady  Stuart   of  Rothesay,  wife  of  the  British 

1  Henri  Bouchet,  le  Luxe  Francois  :  la  Restauration. 


246  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Ambassador  in  Paris,  Marie  de  Lorraine ;  the  Marquis  de 
Podenas,  Catherine  de'  Medici ;  the  Comtesse  de  Juigne,  Jeanne 
d'Albret,  Queen  of  Navarre ;  the  Comtesse  Henri  de  Biron, 
Marguerite  de  Valois,  Duchess  of  Savoy  ;  the  Comtesse  de 
Noailles,  the  Princesse  de  Conde ;  the  Duchesse  de  Caylus, 
Diane  de  Poitiers ; *  the  Comte  de  Mesnard,  Gaspard  de 
Coligny ;  the  Baron  de  Charette,  Francois  de  Lorraine ;  the 
Comte  de  Rosambo,  one  of  the  handsomest  men  at  Court, 
Henri  le  Balafri ;  while  four  young  English  ladies,  Misses 
Baring,  Caulfield,  Acton,  and  Pole-Carew,  represented  the  four 
Maries.  The  King,  the  Dauphin  and  Dauphine,  and  the 
Duchesse  d'Orleans  were  present,  though  not  in  costume. 

The  entrance  of  the  four  queens,  Mary  Stuart,  Marie  de 
Lorraine,  Catherine  de'  Medici,  and  Jeanne  d'Albret,  was  an- 
nounced by  the  band  of  the  Gardes  du  corps,  which  preceded 
them.  The  cortege  was  magnificent,  and  the  dresses  of  the  prin- 
cesses were  simply  blazing  with  gems,  for  they  wore  not  only 
their  own  jewels,  but  a  part  of  those  of  the  Crown,  which  the 
Dauphine  had  lent  for  the  occasion.  The  portrait  of  a  lady  in 
the  Galerie  d'Orleans  at  the  Palais-Royal,  for  long  believed  to 
be  Mary  Stuart,  but  which  the  best  modern  authorities  on  the 
sixteenth  century  have  identified  with  the  Princesse  de  Cond6, 
beloved  by  Henry  III.,  had  furnished  the  model  for  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry's  costume,  which  consisted  of  a  long  robe  of  blue 
velvet  trimmed  with  ermine,  opening  on  to  a  petticoat  of  white 
satin.  Her  shoulders  were  framed  by  a  high  collarette  of  silver 
net,  and  a  crown  of  diamonds  scintillated  upon  her  head. 

Although,  in  point  of  beauty,  the  little  princess  could  hardly 
be  said  to  personify  Mary  Stuart,  it  was  generally  admitted 
that  in  grace  and  dignity  she  left  little  to  be  desired.2  The 
Due  de  Chartres,  representing  Francois  II.,  met  her  at  the 
entrance  to  the  ball-room,  on  two  sides  of  which  seats  had  been 
placed  for  the  ladies  who  had  been  invited  to  witness  the  fete. 
At  the  princess's  desire,  these  had  adopted  a  uniform  costume 
of  white  satin  and  silver  gauze,  and  when,  on  the  arrival  of  the 
royal  procession,  they  all  rose  spontaneously  from  their  seats, 

1  To  introduce  Diane  de  Poitiers  into  thei  fete  was,  of  course,  to  take  a  decided 
liberty  with  history,  since  the  favourite  of  Henri  II.  had  been  banished  from  Court 
immediately  after  the  death  of  her  royal  lover,  nor  was  she  ever  permitted  to 
return. 

2  Madame  de  Boigne,  however,  as  usual,  refuses  to  echo  the  chorus  of  praise,  and 
declares  that  "  no  one  was  ever  more  successful  in  her  efforts  to  look  a  fright." 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  247 

this  freshness  of  tone  produced  a  charming  effect.  The  Due  de 
Chartres,  who  wore  a  cap  with  a  white  plume  and  a  doublet  of 
blue  velvet  decorated  with  gold  ornaments,  advanced  with 
Madame  to  a  high  estrade  erected  at  the  end  of  the  ball-room, 
upon  which  the  throne  had  been  prepared,  and  gave  her  his 
hand  to  mount  the  steps.  She  motioned  to  him  to  sit  beside 
her,  but  the  youth,  doffing  his  plumed  cap  and  bowing  low 
before  the  princess,  exclaimed  gallantly  :  "  Madame,  I  know  my 
place."  And,  amidst  general  applause,  he  took  his  stand 
behind  the  throne. 

Among  the  British  nobility  then  in  Paris  who  had  been 
invited  to  take  part  in  the  fete,  was  the  old  Marquis  of  Huntly. 
The  marquis  in  his  youth  had  been  what  was  then  considered 
a  good  dancer,  and  had  had  the  honour  of  opening  a  similar 
ball  with  Marie  Antoinette.  Charles  X.,  remembering  this, 
asked  him  to  open  this  ball  with  Mademoiselle ;  and  the  gallant 
nobleman  and  the  little  princess  of  nine  danced  a  minuet 
together,  to  the  great  delight  of  the  Court. 

The  ball  was  a  brilliant  success — a  veritable  resurrection  of 
the  sumptuous  fetes  of  the  sixteenth  century — and  well  deserved 
that  Eugene  Lamy,  a  young  painter  very  much  in  vogue  at  this 
time,  should  have  undertaken  the  task  of  perpetuating  its 
splendours.  This  he  did  in  a  series  of  twenty-six  water-colour 
drawings,  which  were  lithographed  and  published  in  an  album. 
Four  of  them  represent  different  incidents  at  the  ball,  while  the 
remainder  are  representations  of  the  principal  personages  who 
took  part  in  it. 

The  popularity  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  with  all  classes  of 
society  did  not  prevent  her  from  being  the  victim  of  a  good 
deal  of  malicious  gossip.  Nor  is  this  altogether  surprising. 
In  the  first  place,  she  had  lost  her  husband  when  she  was 
barely  twenty-one,  and  young  widows  are  generally  supposed 
to  stand  in  need  of  consolation.  Does  not  St.  Jerome  himself 
affirm  it  ?  In  the  second,  she  was  a  foreigner,  and  few  foreign 
princesses  who  married  into  the  Royal  Family  of  France  have 
not,  at  one  time  or  another,  been  the  object  of  unpleasant 
insinuations.  They  brought  from  the  country  of  their  origin 
customs  and  habits  which  were  not  French,  and  which  the  bulk 
of  the  nation  regarded  with  disapproval  ;  and  this  in  itself  was 
quite  sufficient  to  set  tongues  wagging,  as  witness  the  case  of 


248  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

poor  Marie  Antoinette,  who  could  never  escape  from  the  solemn 
pomps  of  Versailles  to  enjoy  the  "  simple  life"  amid  the  groves 
of  Trianon,  without  being  suspected  of  some  ulterior  motive. 
Finally,  Madame  possessed  unusual  independence  of  character  ; 
she  disliked  the  monotony  and  the  constraint  of  Court  life ;  she 
wanted  freedom,  she  wanted  variety  ;  she  liked  to  choose  her 
friends  from  those  who  interested  and  amused  her,  without 
troubling  much  about  the  social  position  which  they  might 
happen  to  occupy  ;  and  not  infrequently  she  both  spoke  and 
acted  in  a  way  which,  though  perfectly  lawful,  was  certainly 
not  expedient,  and  upon  which  maliciously-disposed  persons 
did  not  fail  to  place  the  worst  construction. 

We  have  spoken  in  an  early  chapter  of  the  confidence 
reposed  by  both  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry  in  the  Comte  de 
Mesnard,  first  equerry  to  the  princess,  who  was  regarded  as  the 
Mentor  of  the  little  court  of  the  Elysee.  After  the  death  of 
the  duke,  it  was  but  natural  that  the  young  widow  should  turn 
to  this  sage  counsellor  for  the  advice  she  needed,  and  it  appears 
to  have  been  her  practice  to  consult  him  in  every  difficulty. 
This  entailed  a  degree  of  intimacy  between  them  which  was 
certainly  somewhat  unusual  in  the  case  of  a  princess  and  a 
gentleman  of  her  Household,  but  which  one  might  have  sup- 
posed the  count's  age — he  was  born  in  the  same  year  as 
Napoleon — and  the  well-known  gravity  of  his  character,  would 
have  sufficed  to  exempt  from  all  suspicion  of  gallantry. 

No  reasonable  doubt,  indeed,  now  exists  that  their  relations 
were  simply  such  as  might  have  existed  between  a  father  and 
daughter.  "  You  have  always  been  like  a  father  to  me,"  writes 
the  princess  to  the  count  in  1833  ;  while  in  another  letter  she 
thanks  him  for  "  having  known  how  to  tell  her  occasionally  dis- 
agreeable truths,  such  as  are  not  very  often  told  to  princes."  *  At 
the  same  time,  it  would  appear,  that  Madamds  manner  towards 
her  first  equerry  was  hardly  such  as  would  have  been  adopted  by 
a  princess  who  was  very  solicitous  for  her  reputation,  and  that  the 
latter  was  very  far  from  reticent  as  to  the  favour  and  confidence 
with  which  his  royal  mistress  honoured  him  ;  and  eventually  it 
began  to  be  whispered  that  Mesnard's  official  functions  were 
not  the  only  ones  which  he  discharged  at  the  Pavilion  de 
Marsan  and  Rosny.  If  we  are  to  believe  Madame  de  Boigne, 
whose  statements  in  regard  to  the  Duchess  de  Berry  must 
1  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  Marie-Caroli?ie,  Duchesse  de  Berry. 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  249 

always  be  accepted  with  extreme  reserve,  the  rumour  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Royal  Family,  who,  though  they  did  not  doubt 
the  princess's  innocence,  were  "  persuaded  of  the  extreme  indis- 
cretion of  her  conduct,"  and  "  the  King  was  often  heard  to 
reproach  her  with  the  utmost  violence."  Outside  a  small  circle, 
however,  the  scandal  would  not  seem  to  have  found  any  cre- 
dence, for  most  people  had  the  sense  to  see  in  Mesnard  merely 
a  kind  of  Mentor ;  nor  was  it  until  Madame 's  imprisonment  at 
Blaye  that  it  assumed  formidable  dimensions. 

The  tour  which  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  made  in  the 
West  of  France  in  the  summer  of  1828  had  prevented  her  that 
year  from  visiting  Dieppe,  but  she  did  not  fail  to  return  to  the 
old  Norman  town  in  1829.  It  was,  though  she  little  suspected 
it  at  the  time,  to  be  her  last  visit. 

Madame  arrived  on  August  6,  accompanied  by  her  little 
daughter,  and  was  joined,  on  the  8th,  by  the  Dauphine,  who 
remained  several  days  with  her,  which  seems  to  be  a  singular 
commentary  on  the  assertion  of  Madame  de  Boigne  that  "  the 
mutual  dislike  of  the  two  princesses  was  constantly  increasing." 
The  presence  of  three  members  of  the  Royal  Family  at  Dieppe 
at  the  same  time  attracted  a  great  number  of  visitors,  and  a 
correspondent  of  the  Moniteiir  wrote  that  "  our  town  at  this 
moment  resembles  a  little  Paris,  owing  to  the  number  of  car- 
riages and  of  elegant  ladies  who  are  to  be  seen  on  foot  or  on 
horseback." 

Among  the  attractions  which  rendered  a  sojourn  at  Dieppe 
so  pleasant  for  Madame  was  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Orleans 
family,  whose  custom  it  was  to  pass  the  summer  months  at 
their  Norman  home,  the  Chateau  d'Eu.  Nothing  had  as  yet 
occurred  to  disturb  the  friendly  relations  which  had  existed 
since  the  princess's  arrival  in  France  between  her  and  the 
younger  branch  of  the  Royal  House,  and,  whenever  she  came 
to  Dieppe,  they  never  failed  to  exchange  visits.  In  the  summer 
of  1829  the  Orleans  were  as  usual  at  Eu,  and,  as  they  prided 
themselves  on  their  democratic  habits,  they  came  over  to 
Dieppe  to  visit  Madame  in  a  big  char-a-banc,  large  enough  to 
contain  the  whole  family.  It  was  remarked  on  this  occasion 
that  the  young  Due  de  Chartres  paid  the  most  assiduous 
attentions  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  Mademoiselle ;  and, 
in  point  of  fact,  a  marriage  between  the  prince  and  his  little 


250  A    PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

cousin,  though  not  officially  announced,  had  long  been  decided 
upon.1 

The  chief  incidents  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  last  visit  to 
Dieppe  were  a  ball  which  the  town  gave  in  honour  of  Made- 
moiselle, and  the  inauguration,  in  the  presence  of  their  Royal 
Highnesses,  of  a  monument  commemorating  Henri  IV.'s  victory 
at  Arques.  Detachments  from  the  troops  quartered  at  Dieppe 
and  in  the  neighbourhood  attended  the  ceremony,  and  Madame 
complimented  them  on  the  inscriptions  which  they  had  erected 
over  their  tents.  On  one  was :  "  The  young  Henri  will  find 
again  the  arquebusiers  of  Henri  IV."  On  another:  "The  12th 
will  always  rally  to  the  white  plume."  And  on  a  third  :  "  Two 
Henris,  the  same  love,  the  same  devotion." 

How  much  were  such  expressions  of  loyalty  worth  twelve 
months  later ! 

Madame  returned  from  Dieppe  in  the  middle  of  September, 
and,  three  weeks  later,  started  on  a  journey  to  the  South,  to 
meet  her  father,  Francis  I.  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  her  stepmother, 
Queen  Maria  Isabella,  and  her  half-sisters,  Luisa  and  Christina. 
The  King  and  Queen  were  conducting  Christina  to  Spain,  where 
she  was  to  become  the  third  wife  of  Ferdinand  VII ;  and  Luisa, 
who  had  married  the  Infant  Don  Francisco  de  Paula,  younger 
brother  of  Ferdinand,  was  to  await  them  with  her  husband  at 
the  French  frontier.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  seen  none  of 
her  relatives  since  her  departure  from  Naples  thirteen  years 
before,  and  she  had,  of  course,  joyfully  embraced  this  oppor- 
tunity of  meeting  them  again. 

Leaving  Saint-Cloud  on  October  10,  she  arrived  on  the 
1 8th  at  Valence,  where  she  found  her  half-sister  Luisa  and  Don 
Francisco.  With  them  she  proceeded  to  Lyons,  in  which  city 
a  splendid  reception  had  been  prepared  her,  and  thence  to 
Grenoble,  where  they  were  to  await  their  Sicilian  Majesties, 
who  arrived  on  October  31.  The  meeting  between  Madame 
and  her  relatives,  after  so  long  a  separation,  was  a  very  touching 
one,  and  the  princess  did  not  take  leave  of  them  again  until 

1  The  project  of  a  marriage  between  the  Due  de  Chartres  and  a  daughter  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  had  been  discussed  between  the  two  families  even  before  Made- 
vioiselle  had  arrived  upon  the  scene,  and  duly  communicated  to  the  prospective 
bridegroom,  who  graciously  condescended  to  approve  of  it.  When  the  little  duke 
heard  the  first  gun  which  announced  the  birth  of  the  princess,  he  is  said  to  have 
exclaimed  :  "It  is  my  wife  or  my  King  who  comes  into  the  world." 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  251 

Perthus,  on  the  Spanish  frontier,  was  reached.  She  then  set 
out  on  her  return  journey  to  Paris,  stopping  at  Perpignan, 
Montpellier,  Tarascon,  Aries,  Orange,  and  several  other  towns 
on  her  way,  being  everywhere  welcomed  with  great  enthusiasm,1 
and  reached  the  Tuileries  on  November  28.  Her  reception  in 
the  South  had  been  scarcely  less  flattering  than  the  one  which 
had  been  accorded  her  in  the  West  the  previous  year,  and  had 
tended  to  confirm  the  pleasing  illusions  which  she  entertained 
as  to  the  loyalty  of  the  people  to  the  reigning  dynasty.  The 
idea  of  suspecting  the  sincerity  of  these  demonstrations  of 
fidelity  never  seems  to  have  crossed  her  mind. 

The  sands  of  the  Monarchy  were,  however,  fast  running 
out.  At  the  beginning  of  August  1829,  the  defeat  of  the 
Martignac  Ministry  upon  a  local  government  bill  furnished 
Charles  X.  with  an  excellent  pretext  for  dismissing  it,  and 
entrusting  the  management  of  affairs  to  the  Prince  Jules  de 
Polignac,  a  son  of  the  lady  who  had  exercised  so  unfortunate 
an  influence  over  Marie  Antoinette,  and  a  Cabinet  composed 
for  the  most  part  of  men  whose  reactionary  views  were  as 
notorious  as  those  of  their  chief.  Such  a  contemptuous  defiance 
of  public  opinion  by  the  Crown  could  only  be  interpreted  as 
the  prelude  to  a  coup  d'Etat,  and  aroused  the  most  profound 
indignation  and  alarm.  The  attitude  of  the  deputies,  the 
language  of  the  journals,  the  open  preparations  of  the  clubs 

1  We  should  perhaps  say  nearly  everywhere,  for  Beziers  seems  to  have  been  an 
exception.  Castellane,  who  commanded  the  troops  forming  Madame1  s  escort  during 
this  part  of  the  journey,  tells  us  that  the  inhabitants  were  very  sore  indeed,  because, 
after  they  had  gone  to  the  expense  of  constructing  a  triumphal  arch — "  a  hideous 
erection  " — had  sacrificed  twelve  beautiful  trees  in  one  of  the  streets,  because  the 
sous-prefet  feared  that  they  would  be  in  the  way  of  the  royal  cortege,  and  had  paid 
considerable  sums  for  the  hire  of  windows  to  watch  the  procession,  the  King  of  the 
Two  Sicilies,  being  in  a  hurry  to  reach  the  post-house,  only  passed  through  the 
outskirts  of  the  town.  In  consequence,  when  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  visited  Beziers 
on  her  homeward  journey,  they  received  her  with  marked  coldness,  although,  to 
atone  for  the  paternal  want  of  consideration,  she  traversed  a  great  part  of  the  town 
on  foot. 

The  same  writer  relates  an  amusing  instance  of  the  way  in  which  royal  personages 
were  "fleeced"  in  those  days.  Madame  invited  him  to  breakfast  with  her  and  her 
ladies  at  the  inn  at  which  they  had  alighted.  Ten  crowns  would  have  been  liberal 
payment  for  the  food  and  wine  consumed,  but  the  innkeeper,  without  a  blush, 
demanded  six  hundred  francs.  The  Duchesse  de  Reggio  handed  the  man  two 
hundred  and  twenty,  observing,  "The  Duchesse  dc  Berry  is  quite  willing  to  pay 
six  times  the  value  of  things,  but  no  more  !  " 


252  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  political  societies,  which  were  everywhere  busily  organising, 
might  well  have  convinced  the  King  and  his  advisers  that  the 
nation  was  in  no  humour  to  tolerate  any  invasion  of  its  liberties. 
But  they  seemed  incapable  of  perceiving  the  precipice,  much 
less  of  judging  its  depth  ;  and  the  attitude  they  adopted,  so  far 
from  reassuring  the  public  as  to  their  intentions,  only  confirmed 
its  suspicions. 

The  King's  speech  at  the  opening  of  the  session  of  1830 
announced  his  Majesty's  firm  resolution  to  surmount  the 
obstacles  which  "  culpable  manoeuvres "  might  succeed  in 
raising  up  against  his  Government.  To  this  premature  and 
impolitic  defiance  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  responded  by  the 
"address  of  the  221,"  in  which,  while  protesting  its  fidelity  to 
the  person  of  the  King,  it  refused  its  support  to  the  Ministry, 
although  the  Ministry  had  not  as  yet  submitted  any  measure 
to  which  it  could  raise  objection.  The  King  retorted  by  pro- 
roguing the  Chamber,  a  step  which  was  immediately  followed 
by  a  violent  ferment  throughout  the  whole  country.  Neither 
the  old  monarch  nor  his  principal  adviser,  however,  paid  any 
heed  to  the  popular  indignation  ;  and,  though  the  two  most 
moderate  members  of  the  Cabinet,  Chabrol  and  Courvoisier, 
resigned  rather  than  share  the  odium  of  such  a  proceeding,  at 
the  end  of  a  few  weeks  the  prorogation  was  converted  into  a 
dissolution. 

In  the  spring  of  1830,  the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Two 
Sicilies,  in  fulfilment  of  a  promise  which  they  had  made 
Madame  when  they  parted  from  her  the  previous  autumn,  came 
to  visit  Paris  before  returning  to  Naples.  They  were  received, 
at  Chambord,  by  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  the  little  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  whom  his  royal  grandfather  now  saw  for  the  first 
time  ;  and  on  May  20  they  made  their  entry  into  Paris,  where 
they  were  lodged  at  the  Elysee.  Francis  I.,  who  was  in  very 
bad  health,  and  whose  bowed  head  and  stooping  shoulders 
gave  him  more  the  appearance  of  a  man  of  seventy  than  of 
fifty-three,  spent  most  of  his  time  with  his  sister,  the  Duchesse 
d'Orleans,  at  the  Palais-Royal,  and  went  out  as  little  as  possible  ; 
but  the  Queen,  a  plump,  merry  little  woman,  visited  all  the 
sights  of  Paris  under  the  guidance  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry } 
and  seemed  thoroughly  to  enjoy  the  splendid  festivities  which 
were  given  in  their  Majesties'  honour.     There  was  a  reception 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  253 

at  the  Tuileries,  a  gala  performance  at  the  Opera,  a  grand 
shooting-party  at  Compiegne,  fetes  at  Saint-Cloud  and  Rosny, 
and  a  really  magnificent  ball  given  by  Madame  at  the  Pavilion 
de  Marsan.  "  I  have  never  seen  an  entertainment  better 
organised,"  writes  Madame  de  Boigne,  from  whom  praise  where 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  is  concerned  is  praise  indeed  !  "  The 
arrangement  of  the  apartments  necessitated  the  use  of  two 
stories,  but  the  staircase,  which  was  not  the  same  by  which  the 
guests  were  admitted,  had  been  beautifully  decorated ;  the 
landings  had  been  converted  into  comfortable  drawing-rooms, 
and  the  few  steps  by  which  they  were  separated  were  so  hidden 
by  drapery  and  flowers  that  the  staircase  was  as  crowded  as 
any  other  room,  and  seemed  to  form  an  integral  portion  of  the 
apartments."  x 

The  most  splendid  of  the  fetes,  however,  was  that  given  by 
the  Due  d'Orleans  at  the  Palais-Royal,  which  was  attended  not 
only  by  the  august  visitors  and  their  suite,  but  by  Charles  X., 
the  princesses,  and  the  whole  Court,  and  must  have  cost  the 
duke  a  small  fortune.  The  galleries  and  spacious  salons  of  the 
palace  had  been  superbly  decorated,  and  the  gardens,  illuminated 
throughout  their  whole  extent  by  a  multitude  of  different 
coloured  lights,  presented  a  wonderful  sight. 

The  other  arrangements  were  far  less  satisfactory,  for  the 
Due  d'Orleans,  ever  hungering  for  popularity,  had  directed  that 
tickets  should  be  sent  to  any  one  who  cared  to  ask  for  them, 
and  the  crush  was  so  great  that  it  was  only  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  that  their  Majesties  were  able  to  pass  from  room  to 
room.  Moreover,  in  view  of  the  ill-feeling  existing  between 
Crown  and  people,  the  duke's  conduct  in  throwing  open  the 
gardens  to  the  public,  and  in  making  repeated  appearances 
upon  the  terrace,  in  order  to  give  the  crowd  an  opportunity  of 
testifying,  by  its  acclamations,  to  his  own  popularity,  was  held 
to  be  in  the  worst  possible  taste.  Many,  indeed,  were  inclined 
to  suspect  that  his  proceedings  were  prompted  by  some  deeper 
motive  than  mere  popularity-hunting,  and,  any  way,  they  did 
not  fail  to  bear  fruit. 

While  the  gaiety  within  the  palace  was  at  its  height,  the 
crowd  outside,  excited  by  the  exhortations  of  certain  political 
agitators,  had  become  so  turbulent  that  orders  were  given  to 
clear  the  gardens.     In  the  tumult  which  ensued,  some  persons 

1  Mhnoires. 


254  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

set  fire  to  a  number  of  chairs,  which  they  had  piled  up  to  the 
height  of  the  first  story  ;  and,  a  moment  later,  the  dancers  were 
startled  by  the  cry  of  "fire,"  and  saw  flames  shooting  up  to 
the  windows.  The  panic  was  general,  but,  happily,  assistance 
was  soon  at  hand ;  the  flames  were  extinguished,  and  the  fete 
continued.  All  life,  however,  had  gone  out  of  the  proceedings, 
and  people  shook  their  heads  and  asked  one  another  whether 
what  had  occurred  that  night  did  not  depict  only  too  well  the 
alarming  condition  of  the  country. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

The  elections  of  1830  disastrous  for  the  Polignac  Ministry — Charles  X.,  en- 
couraged by  the  taking  of  Algiers,  resolves  on  a  coup  diktat — The  Ordinances  of 
July  25,  1830 — Conversation  between  the  King  and  Madame  de  Gontaut  on  the 
morning  on  which  the  Ordinances  are  published  in  the  Moniteur — Reception  of  the 
Ordinances  in  Paris — Fatal  optimism  of  the  Government — The  Revolution  begins  on 
the  morning  of  July  27,  1830 — Unpreparedness  of  the  Government — Formidable 
outbreak  on  the  morning  of  the  28th — Mistaken  tactics  of  Marmont,  who  commands 
the  troops — Desperate  fighting  in  the  streets — Alarm  of  the  Court  at  Saint-Cloud — 
Anguish  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  entreats  Charles  X.  to  allow  her  to  go  with 
her  son  to  Paris — Childish  obstinacy  of  the  King,  who  refuses  to  promise  the 
withdrawal  of  the  Ordinances — The  evening  of  July  28  at  Saint-Cloud — Renewal  of 
the  fighting  on  the  29th;  the  Tuileries  stormed  by  the  insurgents — "Ah,  mon 
Dieu  !  I  see  the  tricolour  !  " — The  King  still  unable  to  realise  the  situation — The 
evening  of  July  29  at  Saint-Cloud — The  royal  children  and  the  wounded  soldiers — 
Charles  X.  appoints  Mortemart  President  of  the  Council,  and  sends  him  to  Paris  with 
the  revocation  of  the  Ordinances — But  his  belated  concessions  are  received  with 
derision — Arrival  of  the  Due  d'Orleans  in  the  capital. 

EARLY  in  May  1830,  Charles  X.  had  made  a  bold  bid 
for  popularity  by  the  despatch  of  an  expedition 
against  the  Dey  of  Algiers,  who  had  insulted  the 
French  consul  and  refused  all  reparation.  It  was  hoped  that 
the  success  of  this  undertaking  would  dazzle  the  pride  of  a 
nation  always  impassioned  for  military  glory,  and  secure  a 
majority  for  the  Government.  But  the  scheme  was  a  little  too 
transparent  not  to  be  seen  through,  and  unforeseen  accidents 
delayed  the  expected  triumph  until  the  elections  were  already 
half  over. 

The  electoral  colleges  had  been  convoked  for  June  20  and 
July  3.  In  defiance  of  all  parliamentary  principles,  the  King 
issued  a  manifesto  calling  on  the  electors  to  support  the 
Government.  But  this  most  ill-advised  action  had  no  other 
effect  than  to  increase  the  exasperation  which  the  arbitrary 
exercise  of  the  royal  prerogative  had  already  aroused ;  the 
deputies  who  had  voted  for  the  address  of  the  previous  March 
were  returned  almost  en  masse,  and  the  Opposition  also  wrested 

255 


256  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

a  large  number  of  seats  from  the  Ministerialists,  who  found 
themselves  in  a  minority  of  over  120 ! 

In  the  presence  of  this  formidable  result,  the  majority  of  the 
Ministers  wished  to  tender  their  resignations,  but  the  old  King, 
encouraged  by  the  taking  of  Algiers,  news  of  which  had  reached 
Paris  on  July  9,  and  which  he  regarded  as  a  judgment  of  God 
in  favour  of  the  royal  cause,  would  hear  of  no  surrender.  On 
the  nth,  accompanied  by  the  Dauphin,  the  Dauphine,  and  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  he  attended  a  thanksgiving  service  at 
Notre-Dame.  The  Archbishop  of  Paris,  in  celebrating  the 
triumph,  expressed  the  hope  that  he  might  soon  be  able  to 
felicitate  his  Majesty  on  victories  "  not  less  sweet  and  not  less 
dazzling  "  ;  acclamations  to  which,  in  Paris  at  least,  Charles  X. 
had  long  been  a  stranger,  greeted  him  on  his  way  to  and  from 
the  cathedral,  and,  little  thinking  that  he  was  traversing  for  the 
last  time  the  streets  of  his  capital,  he  quitted  Paris  to  return  to 
Saint-Cloud,  resolved  to  achieve  by  force  what  he  had  failed  to 
accomplish  by  constitutional  means. 

In  common  with  most  of  the  Bourbons,  Charles  X.  possessed 
considerable  powers  of  dissimulation,  and,  on  the  present 
occasion,  convinced  that  secrecy  was  the  one  thing  necessary  to 
ensure  success,  he  took  every  precaution  that  no  inkling  of  his 
intentions  should  get  about  before  the  fateful  moment  arrived. 
"  To  those  who  spoke  to  him  of  a  coup  d'Etat,  he  said  :  "  I  am 
tired  of  these  calumnious  insinuations,"  and  even  the  members 
of  the  Royal  Family  remained  in  profound  ignorance.  Prepara- 
tions for  the  meeting  of  the  Chambers,  which  were  to  assemble 
on  August  3,  were  being  made  as  usual ;  the  writs  summoning 
the  Peers  to  assemble  were  being  sent  out ;  the  journals  were 
busily  speculating  as  to  the  measures  which  would  be  intro- 
duced in  the  approaching  session ;  the  Dauphine  was  already 
established  at  Vichy ;  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  about  to 
start  for  Rosny,  and  had  arranged  that,  during  her  absence, 
Mademoiselle  should  go  to  Dieppe  for  the  sea-bathing,  and  that 
the  Duchesse  d'Orleans  and  her  daughters  should  spend  a  few 
days  there  with  the  little  princess  on  their  way  to  Eu.  For 
the  moment,  everything  seemed  perfectly  tranquil ;  nothing 
indicated  that  in  a  few  days  Paris  would  be  in  the  throes  of 
another  revolution. 

But  on  Sunday,  July  25,  the  Ministers  assembled  at  Saint- 
Cloud,  under  the  presidency  of  the  King,  and  in  the  presence 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  257 

of  the  Dauphin  ;  and  Charles  X.  committed  the  crowning  folly 
of  his  imprudent  reign  by  signing  the  four  fatal  Ordinances. 
The  first  suspended  the  liberty  of  the  Press,  except  where 
authorisation  had  been  secured,  such  authorisation  to  be 
renewed  every  three  months.  The  second  dissolved  the 
Chamber  which  had  not  yet  met  The  third  created  a  new 
electoral  system,  which  reduced  the  number  of  deputies  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty-eight,  and  provided  for  election  in  two  stages. 
The  fourth  convoked  the  electoral  colleges  for  September  6  and 
18,  and  the  Chambers  for  September  28. 

When  the  document  was  presented  for  his  signature,  the 
King  took  up  a  pen ;  but,  instead  of  signing,  he  laid  it  down 
again,  and  resting  his  elbow  on  the  table  and  covering  his  eyes 
with  his  hand,  remained  thus  for  a  few  moments,  absorbed  in 
thought.  Then  he  resumed  his  pen.  "The  more  I  reflect," 
said  he,  "  the  more  I  am  convinced  that  it  is  impossible  to  do 
otherwise."     And  he  signed,  and  the  Ministers  signed  after  him. 

The  same  evening,  the  Ordinances  were  sent  by  Chantelauze, 
the  Minister  for  Justice,  by  whom  they  had  been  drafted,  to  the 
Monittur,  for  publication  in  that  journal  on  the  following  day. 
The  editor,  on  reading  them,  was  so  astonished  that  he  refused 
to  print  them  before  he  had  called  upon  the  Minister,  and 
received  from  his  own  lips  an  assurance  of  their  authenticity. 
"  I  am  fifty  years  old,"  said  he  to  Chantelauze ;  "  I  have 
witnessed  the  whole  of  the  Revolution,  and  I  am  profoundly 
alarmed ! " 

No  misgivings,  however,  troubled  the  mind  of  Charles  X. 
If  he  had  hesitated  before  signing  the  Ordinances,  it  was  from 
reluctance  to  adopt  such  extreme  measures,  not  because  he 
entertained  the  smallest  doubt  as  to  the  success  of  his  coup 
d'Etat.  He  believed  that  the  populace,  taken  by  surprise  and 
having  neither  arms  nor  ammunition,  would  be  incapable  of 
any  resistance,  and  that,  since  the  disbanding  of  the  National 
Guard,  nothing  was  to  be  feared  from  the  bourgeoisie.  So 
confident  were  he  and  the  principal  Ministers  that  the  dis- 
turbances, if  disturbances  there  were,  would  be  confined  to  some 
noisy  crowds  which  might  easily  be  dispersed,  that  they  had 
only  some  12,000  troops  to  make  head  against  the  capital,1  and 

1  But  the  Government  believed  that  they  had  at  least  18,000  men,  Polignac,  who 
was  discharging  the  duties  of  Minister  for  War  during  the  absence  of  Bourmont  in 
Algeria,  having  mistaken  the  nominal  strength  of  the  garrison  for  the  effective 
strength. 

S 


258  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

had  selected  for  the  chief  command  Marechal  Marmont,  one  of 
the  most  unpopular  officers  in  the  Army,  who,  moreover,  was 
not  even  informed  of  his  nomination  until  the  Tuesday  morning. 

With  the  exception  of  Charles  X.  and  the  Dauphin,  the 
occupants  of  the  Chateau  of  Saint-Cloud  rose  on  the  morning 
of  the  26th  without  the  slightest  suspicion  of  the  Ordinances 
with  which  the  MoniUur  was  speedily  to  acquaint  them.  The 
weather  was  superb,  and  it  had  been  arranged  that  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux  and  Mademoiselle  were  to  visit  a  manufactory  at 
Versailles  and  spend  the  rest  of  the  day  at  the  Petit-Trianon, 
where  all  the  persons  attached  to  their  respective  Households 
were  to  meet  and  dine  together.  The  King,  who  intended  to 
hunt  with  the  Dauphin  in  the  forest  of  Rambouillet,  came  to 
visit  his  grandchildren  before  setting  out.  He  appeared  pre- 
occupied, and  presently,  when  the  Baron  de  Damas,  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux's  gouvernezir,  had  left  the  room,  turned  to  Madame 
de  Gontaut  and  inquired  if  she  had  read  the  Moniteur.  The 
duchess  smilingly  replied  that  she  had  not,  as  it  was  a  journal 
which  invariably  bored  her.  "  It  will  not  bore  you  to-day," 
rejoined  the  King,  "and  may  possibly  surprise  you.  Read  it ; 
you  will  find  there  four  Ordinances  which  I  have  just  signed." 
And,  counting  on  his  fingers,  he  continued  :  "  Modification  of 
the  Electoral  Law ;  suspension  of  constitutional  government ; 
suppression  of  the  liberty  of  the  Press ;  dissolution  of  the 
Chamber."  Madame  de  Gontaut  turned  pale,  and  the  King 
remarked  upon  it.  Then,  after  a  moment's  silence,  he  said, 
"  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it  ? " 

The  duchess,  an  old  and  privileged  friend  of  the  Royal 
Family,  did  not  attempt  to  conceal  her  apprehensions.  "  You 
have  a  very  good  heart,"  replied  his  Majesty,  impatiently  ;  "  I 
have  told  you  so  again  and  again  ;  but  you  are  too  impulsive, 
and  you  allow  yourself  to  get  excited." 

Madame  de  Gontaut  begged  permission  to  ask  him  one 
question,  which  might  perhaps  be  indiscreet.  "Speak,"  he 
said ;  "  I  insist  upon  it."  "  Has  not  the  King,  in  signing  the 
Ordinances,  violated  the  Charter  given  by  his  august  brother 
and  adopted  by  himself?  " 

The  King,  who  was  pacing  the  room  in  great  agitation, 
stopped,  and,  taking  her  by  the  hand,  said,  kindly,  "  No ;  I 
swear  it  on  my  word  of  honour !  I  do  not  think  so  ;  or,  at  any 
rate,  they  assured  me  that  it  was  not  so  ;  since  Article  XIV.  of 


CHARLES    X,    KING   OF    FRANCE 

FROM    THE    PAINTING    BY    F.  GERARD 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  259 

this  same  Charter  gives  me  positive  and  sufficient  authority  to 
govern  by  Ordinance,  in  case  of  emergency." 

"  Emergency !     Has  the  King  come  to  that  ?  " 

"  Can  you  doubt  it  ?  What  do  you  think,  for  instance,  of 
the  periodical  sheets,  which  tend  only  to  justify  or  inspire  acts 
of  anarchy  ?  Disorganisation  has  spread  through  the  kingdom, 
and,  you  see,  energetic  measures  must  be  taken  to  arrest  its 
course.  Calm  yourself  and  enjoy  this  beautiful  day  ;  I  am 
going  to  spend  it  at  Rambouillet,  so  you  can  see  that  my  mind 
is  perfectly  at  ease  in  regard  to  the  result  of  the  measures  of 
which  I  have  just  spoken  to  you."  And  he  kissed  the  children, 
and  left  the  room,  saying,  "  Adieu  ;  all  will  go  well  ;  set  your 
mind  at  rest."  * 

The  Moniteur  was  a  journal  which,  outside  parliamentary 
and  official  circles,  was  but  little  read ;  and  the  announcement 
it  contained  that  morning  was  not  one  the  importance  of  which 
could  be  readily  appreciated  save  by  those  with  some  knowledge 
of  political  matters.  Hence,  though  the  middle  classes,  and 
particularly  the  journalists,  were  filled  with  indignation  and 
alarm,  and  on  the  Bourse  the  Funds  fell  four  francs,  there  was, 
at  first,  little  excitement  among  the  mass  of  the  people,  and 
certainly  nothing  to  foreshadow  a  popular  rising.  The  fete  of 
La  Villette,  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  time,  attracted  its 
usual  crowds  ;  the  cafes  were  full ;  and  altogether  things  ap- 
peared so  tranquil  that  the  Prefect  of  Police  told  the  colonel  of 
the  Parisian  gendarmerie  that  there  was  no  necessity  for  him  to 
break  an  engagement  to  dine  in  the  suburbs  which  he  had  made 
for  that  evening.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  a  few  groups  began 
to  form  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Palais-Royal ;  cries  were 
raised  against  the  Ministers,  and  some  stones  were  thrown  at 
the  carriage  of  the  Prince  de  Polignac  as  it  was  passing  along 
the  Boulevard  des  Capucines.  But  these  gatherings  were  soon 
dispersed,  and  in  the  evening  all  was  quiet  again  ;  the  theatres 
played  to  excellent  houses,  and  the  salons  of  those  Ministers 
whose  reception-day  it  was  were  crowded. 

Shortly  before  eleven  o'clock  that  night,  Charles  X.  and 
the  Dauphin  returned  to  Saint-Cloud.  On  alighting  from  his 
carriage,  the  King  inquired  of  Marmont  what  was  the  news 
from  Paris.  The  marshal  replied  there  had  been  no  disturb- 
ance of  any  importance,  but  that  the  Bourse  had  been  much 
1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Mbnoires. 


260  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

depressed  and  the  Funds  had  fallen  four  francs.  This  intelli- 
gence did  not  appear  to  ruffle  the  composure  of  either  the  King 
or  his  son.  "They  will  rise  again,"  observed  the  latter,  cheer- 
fully ;  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  shared  the  illusions  of 
the  Royal  Family,  threw  herself  into  her  father-in-law's  arms 
and  congratulated  him  upon  being  King  at  last. 

Most  historians  incline  to  the  belief  that  if  the  Government 
had  adopted  energetic  measures  before  the  Parisians  had  had 
time  to  recover  from  the  astonishment  which  the  Ordinances 
had  occasioned ;  if  it  had  employed  the  night  of  July  26-27  in 
seizing  the  Opposition  journals  in  the  press  and  thus  preventing 
them  from  inflaming  the  public  mind,  and  in  placing  all  the 
troops  of  the  garrison  under  arms  and  occupying  the  principal 
strategic  points  of  the  capital,  Charles  X.  would  have  secured 
an  easy  triumph.  But  the  infatuated  monarch  and  his  advisers, 
in  the  fond  belief  that,  since  the  day  had  passed  off  without 
any  serious  disturbance,  resistance  was  no  longer  to  be  appre- 
hended, did  absolutely  nothing ;  and  it  was  not  until  a  little 
before  noon  on  the  following  day  (July  27)  that  the  King  sent 
for  Marmont,  who,  as  the  major-general  of  the  Royal  Guard  on 
duty,  had  slept  at  Saint-Cloud,  informed  him  that  there  was 
"  some  anxiety  about  the  tranquillity  of  Paris,"  and  ordered 
him  to  proceed  thither  and  take  the  command. 

In  the  capital,  crowds  had  begun  to  assemble  in  the  streets 
soon  after  daybreak.  They  did  not,  however,  assume  formidable 
proportions  until  about  midday,  when  a  commissary  of  police 
and  a  detachment  of  gendarmes  visited  the  office  of  the  Temps, 
in  the  Rue  de  Richelieu,  in  which  a  protest  against  the  Ordi- 
nances, signed  by  over  forty  of  the  leading  journalists  of  Paris, 
had  appeared  that  morning,  forced  the  doors  of  the  printing- 
office,  and  seized  the  presses.  During  this  operation  an  immense 
crowd  gathered  round  the  building,  hooting  and  groaning,  and 
soon  afterwards  a  barricade  was  raised  at  the  entrance  of  the 
Rue  de  Richelieu,  opposite  the  portico  of  the  Theatre-Francais  ; 
a  man,  said  to  have  been  an  Englishman,  fired  upon  the  troops 
engaged  in  dispersing  the  people,  from  the  window  of  his  house 
in  the  Rue  Saint- Honore,  and  was  answered  by  a  volley  which 
stretched  him  and  two  of  his  servants  dead  on  the  spot. 

The  Revolution  had  begun  ! 

Marmont  reached  Paris  about  one  o'clock,  and  proceeded 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  Guard  in  the  Place  du  Carrousel. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  261 

He  found  things  in  a  deplorable  state,  from  the  military  point 
of  view.  Polignac,  as  we  have  mentioned,  had  estimated  the 
strength  of  the  garrison  at  18,000  men  ;  but  several  regiments 
had  lately  been  withdrawn,  and  the  troops  in  the  capital  did 
not  exceed  12,000  men  of  all  arms.  No  precautions  whatever 
had  been  taken  in  view  of  an  insurrection  ;  a  number  of  officers 
were  absent  on  furlough ;  there  was  an  insufficiency  of  ammu- 
nition and  very  little  food  or  wine.  Finally,  no  order  had  been 
issued  confining  the  troops  to  barracks,  and  it  was  not  until 
they  assembled  for  the  roll-call  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
that  the  marshal  was  able  to  make  his  dispositions. 

Nothing  of  much  importance,  however,  occurred  during  the 
remainder  of  that  day.  Two  or  three  barricades  were  erected 
by  the  people  and  destroyed  by  the  troops  ;  some  of  the 
soldiers  were  injured  by  stones,  a  few  shots  were  fired,  and  a 
man  was  killed  near  the  Rue  Feydeau.  But  when  darkness  fell, 
the  crowds  dispersed,  and  before  eleven  o'clock  the  streets  had 
resumed  their  normal  appearance,  and  the  troops  were  marched 
back  to  barracks. 

The  night  was  peaceful,  but  very  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
28th  the  crowds  began  forming  anew,  in  much  greater  numbers 
and  in  a  far  more  excited  condition  than  on  the  previous  day. 
Then  the  cry  had  been  "  Vive  la  Charte  !  A  bas  les  ministres  !  " ; 
now  it  was  "Vive  la  liber  te  !  A  bas  les  Bourbons /"  By  eight 
j'clock  the  inhabitants  of  the  most  populous  quarters  were  in 
lull  revolt.  The  white  flags  at  the  mairies  were  torn  down  and 
trampled  under  foot ;  the  insurgents  broke  open  the  gunsmiths' 
shops  and  seized  all  the  arms  and  ammunition  that  they  contained ; 
thousands  of  muskets  belonging  to  the  disbanded  National 
Guards  were  distributed  among  them  ;  barricades  sprang  up 
everywhere.  At  nine  o'clock,  Marmont  wrote  to  the  King  :  "  It 
is  no  longer  a  riot ;  it  is  a  revolution  !  It  is  of  urgent  impor- 
tance that  your  Majesty  should  adopt  means  of  pacification. 
The  honour  of  the  Crown  may  yet  be  saved.  To-morrow 
it  may  be  too  late.  I  am  taking  measures  to  put  down 
the  revolt,  but  I  impatiently  await  the  orders  of  Your 
Majesty." 

Marmont  had  decided  to  mass  his  troops  at  the  Tuileries 
and  in  the  Champs-Elysees  ;  to  occupy  the  Ecole  Militaire, 
the  Pantheon,  the  Palais  de  Justice,  the  interior  Boulevards, 
the   barracks,   the    Palais-Royal,   the   Louvre    and   the    Hotel 


262  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

de  Ville,  and  to  keep  open  the  principal  thoroughfares,  so 
that  he  might  send  reinforcements  by  them  to  any  post  where 
they  happened  to  be  needed.  This  plan,  which  would  have 
been  excellent  with  an  army  of  sixty  thousand  men,  was 
absolutely  futile  with  the  comparatively  small  force  which  he 
had  at  his  disposal.1 

The  insurgents,  moreover,  were  already  assembled  in  force 
at  nearly  all  the  posts  which  he  wished  to  occupy,  and  no 
sooner  did  the  troops  appear,  than  they  were  greeted  by  a 
murderous  fusillade  from  behind  the  barricades,  while  missiles 
of  every  description  were  rained  upon  them  from  the  houses. 
In  the  Place  de  Greve,  where  the  tocsin  of  Notre-Dame  had 
brought  together  swarms  of  people,  the  struggle  was  of  the  most 
obstinate  character,  and  it  was  only  after  the  Royal  Guard  had 
poured  grapeshot  into  the  serried  masses  opposed  to  it  that  it 
was  able  to  force  its  way  into  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  leaving 
the  ground  over  which  it  had  passed  strewn  with  the  dead 
and  dying. 

The  occupants  of  the  Chateau  of  Saint- Cloud  heard  the 
dismal  clang  of  the  tocsin  and  the  boom  of  the  guns.  Madame 
de  Gontaut  tells  us  that,  with  the  aid  of  a  powerful  telescope, 
she  could  see  from  her  salon  "  the  whole  of  the  second  story  of 
the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  from  which  in  every  house  men  and  women 
were  throwing  out  all  sorts  of  projectiles — pianos,  commodes, 
every  piece  of  furniture,  in  short,  that  they  could  lay  their 
hands  on — in  the  hope  of  crushing  the  troops  assembled  in  the 
street  below."  She  could  see,  too  (for  the  sun  was  shining  full 
upon  them),  the  towers  of  Notre-Dame,  and  particularly  the 
left  one,  where  a  furious  struggle  was  in  progress  between  the 
insurgents,  who  were  endeavouring  to  hoist  the  tricolour,  and 
the  soldiers,  who  were  trying  to  haul  it  down.  One  of  the 
combatants  was  precipitated  from  the  top  of  the  tower,  and 
she  uttered  a  shriek  of  horror  as  she  saw  him  fall.  Every  few 
minutes  messengers  were  arriving  from  Paris,  but,  though 
Marmont  did  not  attempt  to  conceal  the  gravity  of  the 
situation,  Charles  X.  preferred  to  believe  the  absurdly  opti- 
mistic reports  of  his  favourite  Polignac ;  and  Madame  de 
Gontaut  several  times  entreated  him  vainly  to  come  up  to  her 
salon  and  see  with  his  own  eyes  the  desperate  character  of  the 
resistance  with  which  his  troops  were  being  called    upon   to 

1  Lamartine. 


A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE  263 

contend.  He  appeared  to  be  quite  unmoved  by  the  sanguinary 
drama  which  was  being  enacted  so  near  him,  and  to  be  confident 
that  a  few  hours  would  see  Paris  at  his  feet. 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  on  the  other  hand,  was  in  despair. 
To  her  courageous  soul  it  was  torture  to  be  compelled  to  remain 
inactive  at  Saint-Cloud,  while  Paris  was  an  inferno  of  riot  and 
bloodshed,  and  every  hour  the  chances  of  the  Monarchy  were 
slipping  away.  "  What  a  misfortune  to  be  a  woman  !  "  she 
cried.  And,  confident  in  the  popularity  of  which  she  had  had  so 
many  proofs,  she  entreated  the  King  to  allow  her  to  go  to  Paris 
and  show  herself  to  the  people,  holding  her  son  by  the  hand. 
But  the  only  reply  of  Charles  X.  was  to  order  her  sternly  to 
remain  where  she  was  and  to  compose  herself. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  the  King  received  a  despatch  from 
Marmont,  informing  him  that  he  had  been  approached  by 
Laffitte,  Casimir  Perier,  and  other  Opposition  leaders,  who  had 
offered  to  do  everything  in  their  power  to  induce  the  insurgents 
to  lay  down  their  arms,  if  the  Ordinances  were  repealed.  "  I 
think  it  urgent,"  concluded  the  marshal,  "that  your  Majesty 
should  profit  without  delay  by  the  overtures  that  have  been 
made."  But  the  old  monarch,  though  the  progress  of  the 
revolt  during  the  last  few  hours  was  beginning  to  weaken 
his  hitherto  imperturbable  confidence,  refused,  with  childish  ob- 
stinacy, to  hear  of  any  concessions. 

Towards  evening,  the  combat  ceased  from  want  of  ammu- 
nition, and  the  King,  no  longer  hearing  the  sound  of  firing,  was 
persuaded  that  he  was  triumphing  over  the  insurrection.  In 
point  of  fact,  the  result  of  the  day's  fighting  had  been  such  as  to 
afford  every  encouragement  to  the  insurgents,  since,  though  the 
troops  had  eventually  succeeded  in  occupying  the  positions 
assigned  to  them,  the  losses  they  had  sustained,  scarcity  of 
ammunition,  and  want  of  food — the  populace  had  seized  all  the 
military  bakeries,  and  the  soldiers  had  eaten  nothing  since  the 
morning — rendered  it  impossible  to  hold  them.  Accordingly, 
when  night  fell,  Marmont  ordered  a  retrograde  movement,  and 
the  troops  fell  back  to  cover  the  Louvre,  the  Tuileries,  the 
Palais-Royal,  the  Champs-Elys£es,  and  the  road  to  Saint-Cloud, 
leaving  the  rest  of  Paris  in  possession  of  the  insurgents. 

A  stranger  who  had  visited  the  royal  apartments  at  Saint- 
Cloud  that  evening  would  have  found  it  difficult  to  believe  that  a 
revolution  was  in  progress.     Charles  X.  regarded  it  as  a  point 


264  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

of  honour  not  to  display  any  sign  of  uneasiness,  and  the 
courtiers,  of  course,  followed  his  example.  Everything  went  on 
as  usual ;  dinner  was  served  at  the  customary  hour ;  afterwards 
the  King  took  a  walk  upon  the  terrace,  where  his  grandchildren 
played,  and  then  sat  down  to  his  rubber  of  whist,  which  nothing 
was  ever  allowed  to  interrupt.  "To  see  those  four  tranquil 
whist-players  absorbed  in  their  game  scandalised  me,  I  must 
admit,"  writes  Madame  de  Gontaut ;  "but  I  was  wrong,  for  the 
King  confessed  to  me  subsequently  that  he  only  wished  to 
appear  tranquil,  because  it  was  thought  best." 

Early  on  the  following  morning  (June  29),  the  Due  de 
Mortemart,  one  of  those  loyal  but  enlightened  nobles  who 
would  have  saved  the  Monarchy  if  Charles  X.  had  been  content 
to  repose  his  confidence  in  them,  sought  an  audience  of  the 
King.  He  told  him  plainly  that  the  situation  was  every  hour 
becoming  more  critical,  and  besought  him  to  dismiss  his 
Ministers  and  revoke  the  Ordinances  before  it  should  be  too 
late.  But  the  King,  who  was  confident  that  Marmont  would 
be  able  to  hold  his  ground  until  the  troops  from  Luneville  and 
Saint-Omer,  which  had  been  ordered  to  reinforce  him,  reached 
Paris,1  refused  to  yield  ;  and  the  Marquis  de  Sdmonville,  Grand 
Referendary  of  the  Chamber  of  Peers,  the  Comte  d'Argout 
and  the  Baron  de  Vitrolles,  who  arrived,  shortly  afterwards,  from 
Paris  on  a  similar  mission,  met  with  no  better  success. 

Meanwhile,  hostilities  had  been  resumed.  Flushed  with 
their  success  of  the  preceding  day,  the  insurgents  advanced  in 
great  force  towards  the  Louvre  and  the  Tuileries.  The  position 
which  Marmont  had  taken  up  was  a  strong  one,  but  the  troops 
were  worn  out  by  hunger  and  fatigue,  and  disgusted  with  the 
fratricidal  strife  in  which  they  were  engaged,  and,  though  the 
fidelity  of  the  Guard  was  above  suspicion,  the  Line  regiments 
could  not  be  relied  upon.  Moreover,  the  marshal,  who  tells  us 
that  he  was  expecting  every  moment  to  receive  instructions 
from  the  King  to  promise  the  withdrawal  of  the  Ordinances, 
hesitated,  from  motives  of  humanity  or  self-interest,  to 
employ  his  artillery,  a  circumstance  which  greatly  emboldened 
the  populace. 

About  noon,  an  incident  occurred  which  decided  the  fate  of 
the  day  and  the  dynasty.     The  5th  and  53rd  regiments  of  the 

1  Owing  to  some  blunder  of  Polignac,  these  orders  did  not  arrive   until  three 
days  after  they  should  have  done. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  265 

Line,  which  occupied  the  Place- Vendome,  held  a  parley  with  the 
insurgents,  and  were  about  to  permit  them  to  pass  on  to 
the  Tuileries.  Informed  of  this  defection,  Marmont  sent  orders 
to  the  Comte  de  Salis,  who  with  two  Swiss  battalions  was 
posted  at  the  Louvre,  to  despatch  one  of  them  to  the  Place- 
Vendome.  Of  these  battalions,  one  had  been  firing  all  the 
morning  from  the  colonnade  and  windows  of  the  palace,  the 
other  had  remained  inactive  in  the  courtyard.  Salis  decided  to 
send  the  first  to  the  Place- Vendome,  and  ordered  the  second 
to  mount,  in  its  turn,  to  the  colonnade.  But,  by  some  mis- 
understanding, several  minutes  elapsed  between  the  descent  and 
departure  of  the  first  battalion  and  the  appearance  of  the  other  ; 
and  the  insurgents,  believing  that  the  cessation  of  the  firing 
indicated  a  retreat,  suddenly  rushed  the  gates,  poured  into  the 
courtyard,  drove  the  astonished  Swiss  headlong  before  them, 
and  while  some  opened  a  withering  fire  from  the  windows  of 
the  palace,  upon  Marmont's  reserve,  posted  on  the  Carrousel, 
the  rest  pressed  on  into  the  Tuileries. 

The  marshal  had  now  no  alternative  but  to  order  a  general 
retreat  to  the  Champs-Elysees,  and  subsequently  to  Saint-Cloud, 
leaving  the  Tuileries  in  possession  of  the  insurgents,  who  lost 
no  time  in  mounting  to  the  roof  of  the  Pavilion  de  l'Horloge 
and  hoisting  the  tricolour.  It  was  at  this  moment  that 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  from  a  window  on  the  second 
story  at  Saint-Cloud  was  turning  a  glass  in  the  direction  of 
Paris,  perceived  that  the  white  flag  had  ceased  to  float  over 
the  Tuileries.  "Ah!  mon  Dieu!"  she  exclaimed,  "I  see  the 
tricolour ! " 

It  was  only  now,  when  the  last  of  his  soldiers  had  been 
expelled  from  the  capital  and  his  palace  was  in  possession  of  his 
rebellious  subjects,  that  Charles  X.  could  be  persuaded  to  resign 
himself  to  the  idea  of  revoking  the  Ordinances  and  changing 
his  Ministers.  So  far,  however,  was  he  from  realising  the  true 
situation  of  affairs  that,  though  he  gave  permission  to 
Semonville,  d'Argout,  and  Vitrolles  to  proceed  to  Paris  and 
communicate  his  intentions  to  the  provisional  government 
which  was  established  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  he  declined  to  give 
them  any  written  authority,  nor  would  he  allow  the  Due 
de  Mortemart,  whom  he  had  charged  to  form  a  new  Cabinet,  to 
accompany  them.  Never  for  a  moment  does  he  seem  to  have 
doubted  that  the  mere   informal   announcement   that   he   was 


266  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

prepared  to  grant  that  for  which  so  much  blood  had  been  shed 
would  be  sufficient  to  appease  the  indignation  of  his  people  and 
restore  tranquillity. 

In  the  chateau  that  evening  all  was  again  calm  and  serene. 
The  King  played  whist,  Polignac  and  Mortemart,  the  outgoing 
and  incoming  Prime  Ministers,  being,  in  turn,  his  partners  ; 
while  the  Dauphin  was  absorbed  in  a  game  of  chess.  Outside, 
in  the  courtyard  and  in  the  gardens,  where  the  faithful  remnant 
of  Marmont's  army  was  stationed,  the  famished  soldiers,  many 
of  them  with  bloodstained  bandages  round  their  heads  or 
limbs,  were  clamouring  for  food  and  cursing  the  scandalous 
mismanagement  which,  while  they  were  risking  their  lives  in 
their  Sovereign's  service,  denied  them  even  a  morsel  of  bread. 
The  kind  hearts  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  and  Mademoiselle 
were  touched  by  the  distress  of  their  brave  defenders,  and, 
when  their  own  dinner  was  brought  in,  they  declared  their  in- 
tention of  giving  it  to  some  wounded  soldiers  in  the  courtyard. 
Madame  de  Gontaut  let  them  have  their  way,  and  the  little 
prince,  seizing  a  huge  leg  of  mutton,  rushed  downstairs  with 
it,  while  his  sister  followed  with  whatever  she  could  lay  her 
hands  on.  "Take  this,  friends,"  they  cried  to  the  astonished 
and  grateful  warriors ;  "  it  is  our  dinner  ;  take  it  all,  and  the 
dishes  too  !  " l 

About  an  hour  after  midnight,  d'Argout  and  Vitrolles 
returned  from  Paris.  The  King  had  long  ago  retired  to  rest, 
but  they  discovered  Mortemart  asleep  on  a  sofa.  Much  aston- 
ished to  find  him  still  at  Saint-Cloud,  they  awoke  him,  told 
him  that  their  mission  had  completely  failed,  and  begged  him 
to  start  without  a  moment's  delay  for  Paris  and  make  a  last 
effort  to  save  the  Monarchy.  The  duke  replied  that  he  would 
have  left  long  ago,  but  that,  though  he  had  been  waiting  all  the 
evening  for  the  King  to  sign  the  new  Ordinances,  which  revoked 
those  of  the  25th,  nominated  him  President  of  the  Council  and 
Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  and  re-established  the  National 
Guard,  he  had  not  yet  done  so.a  The  two  nobles  implored  him 
to  awaken  the  monarch,  and,  after  the  obstacles  which  etiquette 
interposed  had  been  overcome,  they  were  admitted  to  the  royal 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 

2  According  to  Lamartine,  the  King's  reluctance  to  sign  the  new  Ordinances 
arose  from  the  belief  that,  if  he  delayed,  overtures  would  be  made  to  him  by  the 
Opposition  leaders,  which  would  not  only  save  his  dignity,  but  enable  him  to  limit 
his  concessions. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  267 

bedchamber,   and   eventually   contrived  to   obtain   the  King's 
signature. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  30th,  Mortemart  started 
for  Paris  ;  but  he  had  great  difficulty  in  gaining  admission 
to  the  city,  and,  in  order  to  avoid  recognition,  was  compelled 
to  traverse  the  greater  part  of  the  way  on  foot.  As  he 
was  not  yet  fully  recovered  from  a  severe  illness,  he  arrived 
in  so  exhausted  a  condition  that  he  was  unable  personally 
to  interview  the  Opposition  leaders,  and  was  obliged  to  send 
the  new  Ordinances  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  They  came  too 
late.  What  would  have  been  accepted  with  gratitude  two  days 
before,  now  excited  nothing  but  derision.  "The  throne  of 
Charles  X. " — to  borrow  the  expression  of  Schonen — "  had 
melted  into  blood,"  and  all  eyes  were  turning  to  the  Due 
d'Orleans,  who  had  been  prudently  keeping  out  of  the  way 
during  the  last  few  days,  but  who  that  same  night  arrived  in 
Paris,  to  assume  the  post  of  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  King- 
dom, while  awaiting  the  Crown. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  her  children,  begs  the  Dauphin 
to  persuade  Charles  X.  to  leave  Saint-Cloud — Departure  of  the  Court  at  daybreak 
on  July  31 — Arrival  at  the  Grand-Trianon — Astonishment  of  the  King  at  the 
costume  assumed  by  Madame — The  Court  continues  its  retreat  to  Rambouillet — A 
frugal  supper — The  Dauphine  joins  her  relatives— Charles  X.  and  the  Due  d'Orleans 
— Abdication  of  the  King  in  favour  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux — Efforts  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  to  induce  Charles  X.  to  allow  her  to  go  to  Paris — "  Vive  Henri  V.!" — 
Duplicity  of  the  Due  d'Orleans — A  game  of  bluff — Charles  X.  decides  to  leave 
France — Departure  of  the  Royal  Family  from  Rambouillet — Arrival  at  the  Chateau 
of  Maintenon — The  King  takes  leave  of  the  troops — The  journey  to  the  coast — 
Madame  urges  the  King  not  to  abandon  the  struggle — The  Royal  Family  at  Valognes 
— Farewell  to  the  Gardes  du  corps — Arrival  at  Cherbourg — The  Royal  Family  sail 
for  England. 


A 


LL  day  long  the  occupants  of  Saint-Cloud  anxiously 
awaited  the  result  of  Mortemart's  negotiations,  but  no 
message  from  the  duke  reached  the  chateau — his 
agents  had,  in  fact,  been  stopped  by  the  insurgents — and  they 
were  in  complete  uncertainty  as  to  what  was  happening  in 
Paris.  When  evening  came,  the  King,  becoming  seriously 
uneasy,  ordered  the  Comte  de  la  Bourdonnaye,  one  of  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Chamber,  to  go  in  search  of  Mortemart,  and 
ascertain  how  he  had  fared  ;  and,  while  awaiting  his  return,  he 
went  to  bed. 

Towards  midnight,  a  rumour  spread  that  the  insurgents, 
who  were  assembled  in  force  between  Auteuil  and  Boulogne, 
intended  to  take  advantage  of  the  darkness  to  surprise  the 
chateau.  The  report  would  appear  to  have  been  without  foun- 
dation, but  some  of  the  courtiers  persuaded  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  that  her  children  were  in  danger,  and,  though  the 
courageous  princess  had  no  fears  for  herself,  she  was  greatly 
alarmed  on  their  account.  She  therefore  went  to  the  Dauphin, 
and  implored  him  to  persuade  the  King  to  leave  Saint-Cloud. 

The  Dauphin  was  at  first  reluctant  to  disturb  his  father, 
but  at  length  he  yielded  to  her  entreaties,  and  Charles  X.,  on 
learning  the  news,  reluctantly  consented  to  give  the  order  for 

268 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  269 

departure.  The  Gardes  du  corps,  who  were  sleeping  near  their 
horses,  with  the  bridles  over  their  arms,  mounted  in  silence,  and 
were  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  opposite  the  chateau,  and,  as 
the  day  was  beginning  to  break,  the  carriages  containing  the 
King  and  the  Royal  Family  started  for  Versailles.  Marmont 
rode  beside  the  King's  carriage  ;  the  Dauphin,  who  had  super- 
seded the  marshal  in  command  of  the  troops,  remained  behind 
at  Saint-Cloud  to  cover  the  retreat. 

After  going  a  little  way,  Charles  X.  left  his  carriage  and 
mounted  a  horse.  "  I  saw  a  hand  placed  on  the  door  of  the 
carriage  on  my  side,"  writes  Madame  de  Gontaut,  who  was  in 
charge  of  Mademoiselle ;  "  I  leaned  forward  and  met  the  eyes  of 
the  King,  sad,  but  not  dejected.  He  did  not  speak,  and  in 
silence  continued  to  escort  the  carriages  of  his  grandchildren — 
all  the  treasure  that  was  left  to  him  on  earth.  I  had  not 
breathed  a  sigh  on  leaving  Saint-Cloud,  the  Court  and  its 
grandeurs,  but  I  wept  when  I  looked  on  the  sad,  resigned 
countenance  of  the  King." 

On  the  outskirts  of  Versailles,  the  Marquis  de  Verac, 
governor  of  the  town,  presented  himself  to  warn  the  King  that 
the  Place  d'Armes  was  crowded  with  National  Guards,  who  had 
hoisted  the  tricolour  and  were  making  bellicose  speeches. 
Charles  X.  then  gave  orders  to  turn  in  the  direction  of  the 
Grand-Trianon,  where  the  cortege  arrived  at  six  o'clock.  The 
Royal  Family  entered  the  great  marble  salon,  where  the  King 
was  astonished  to  perceive  the  costume  which  had  been  adopted 
by  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  The  princess  was  dressed  in  a 
"green  redingote  with  a  velvet  collar,  wide  pantaloons,  and  a 
man's  hat,"  1  and  in  a  belt  round  her  waist  were  two  pistols. 
"  Why  this  singular  costume,  my  daughter  ? "  said  he,  tapping 
her  on  the  shoulder,  "  and  for  what  purpose  are  these  weapons  ?  " 
"  To  defend  my  children,  Sire,"  was  the  reply,  "  in  case  any  one 
should  attack  them."  His  Majesty  smiled  and  shook  his  head, 
observing :  "  Take  my  advice,  my  child,  and  abandon  this 
toilette,  which  would  become  one  of  Walter  Scott's  heroines." 
But  it  was  not  until  they  reached  Saint-L6  that  the  princess 
was  able  to  do  so,  as  the  departure  from  Saint-Cloud  had  been 
so  hurried  that  she  had  nothing  else  to  wear. 

The  old  monarch  would  fain  have  lingered  a  little  amid  the 
scenes  which  recalled  so   many  souvenirs  of   his  youth  ;   but, 

1  Souvenirs  du  lieutenant-general  vicomle  de  Reiset. 


270  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

shortly  after  one  o'clock,  the  Dauphin  arrived,  and  urged  his 
father  strongly  to  gain  Rambouillet  without  further  delay.  The 
Revolution  was  spreading  rapidly  in  the  country  around  Paris, 
and  he  had  had  a  sharp  brush  with  the  insurgents  at  the  bridge 
of  Sevres,  in  which  one  of  his  officers,  the  Due  d'Esclignac,  had 
been  severely  wounded. 

An  hour  later,  the  royal  cortege  resumed  its  march.  As  it 
was  passing  Saint-Cyr,  the  cadets  of  the  Military  School,  who 
had  come,  on  the  28th,  to  Saint-Cloud  with  their  field-guns  to 
assist  in  protecting  the  Royal  Family,  and  had  only  returned 
that  morning,  rushed  out  to  cheer  the  King.  They  were  eager 
to  join  his  escort,  but  this  Charles  X.,  though  he  thanked  the 
brave  lads  warmly  for  their  devotion  to  his  cause,  would  not 
permit. 

Rambouillet  was  reached  at  ten  o'clock  at  night.  It  was 
only  on  the  previous  Monday — the  day  on  which  the  Ordinances 
had  appeared — that  Charles  X.  had  visited  the  old  chateau  of 
Francois  I.,  to  enjoy  a  day's  hunting.  How  little  could  he  have 
foreseen  then  that  ere  a  week  had  passed  he  would  return  there 
a  fugitive  recoiling  before  a  revolution ! 

The  unfortunate  Sovereign  had  not  been  expected,  and  no 
preparations  had  been  made  for  his  reception.  The  chateau 
was  closed,  and  neither  lights,  linen,  nor  food  were  to  be  found 
there  ;  while  the  troops  which  had  preceded  the  Royal  Family 
had  eaten  up  everything  in  the  town.  Madame  de  Gontaut 
hunted  from  cellar  to  attic  to  find  something  for  poor  Made- 
moiselle, who  was  faint  with  hunger,  but  the  only  result  of  her 
search  was  a  piece  of  stale  bread,  which  the  little  princess 
generously  insisted  on  sharing  with  her  gouvernante.  Next 
day,  matters  were  much  better ;  the  King  authorised  the 
officers  of  the  Gardes  du  corps  to  kill  the  game  in  the  sur- 
rounding coverts,  and  there  was  a  mighty  slaughter.  Never- 
theless, the  difficulty  of  feeding  the  troops  was  still  very  great, 
while  there  was  no  money  to  pay  them,  and,  though  the  greater 
part  still  remained  faithful,  numbers  deserted. 

In  the  course  of  the  morning,  the  Duchesse  d'Angouleme 
joined  her  relatives,  to  the  great  relief  of  Charles  X.,  who, 
viewing  the  Revolution  through  the  souvenirs  of  1793,  had  been 
very  uneasy  about  the  fate  of  his  niece.  The  Dauphine  had 
left  Vichy  on  July  25 — the  day  on  which  the  Ordinances  had 
been  signed — but  she  only  learned  of  them  when  she  reached 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  271 

Macon,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  27th.  During  the  first  part  of 
her  journey,  she  was  received  with  shouts  of  joy,  white  flags, 
and  triumphal  arches ;  during  the  last  stages,  force  had  to  be 
employed  to  protect  her  from  the  insults  of  the  populace,  and 
she  reached  Rambouillet  in  the  carriage  of  Comte  Melchior  de 
Polignac,  governor  of  the  Chateau  of  Fontainebleau,  who  passed 
her  off  as  one  of  his  relatives. 

The  King  had  not  yet  abandoned  all  hope  of  a  change  of 
fortune.  General  de  Girardin,  who  came  that  day  from  Paris, 
informed  them  of  the  Due  d'Orleans's  arrival  in  the  capital  and 
of  his  acceptance  of  the  post  of  Lieutenant-General  of  the 
Kingdom.  According  to  Marmont,  he  added  that  the  duke 
had  been  offered  the  Crown  and  had  refused  it,  declaring  that  he 
would  never  consent  to  be  a  usurper.  However  that  may  be, 
Charles  X.  could  not  bring  himself  to  believe  that  a  prince 
whom  he  had  overwhelmed  with  benefits  was  capable  of  betray- 
ing him,  and,  with  the  idea  of  giving  a  legal  appearance  to  what 
was  happening,  he  himself  invested  the  duke  with  the  powers 
of  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Kingdom,  and  approved  the  re- 
assembling of  the  Chambers  on  August  3,  the  date  fixed  before 
the  issue  of  the  fatal  Ordinances. 

This  communication  reached  the  Due  d'Orleans  late  that 
night,  at  the  moment  when  he  was  engaged  with  his  most 
intimate  counsellor,  Dupin,  in  drafting  the  speech  which  he 
was  to  deliver  at  the  opening  of  the  Chambers.  Dupin  drew  up 
a  reply, "  cold  and  cruel  as  the  adverse  decree  of  Fate," x  in  which 
the  duke  merely  acknowledged  his  Majesty's  letter,  and  informed 
him  that  he  was  already  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Kingdom, 
by  choice  of  the  provisional  government.  But  it  is  generally 
believed  that  Louis-Philippe,  unknown  to  his  adviser,  afterwards 
substituted  for  this  epistle  one  which  contained  assurances  of 
fidelity  and  devotion,  and  that  these  assurances  determined 
Charles  X.,  overwhelmed  by  his  misfortunes,  to  abdicate,  hoping, 
by  this  act  of  abnegation,  to  save  the  throne  for  his  grandson. 

On  the  morning  of  August  2,  when  Madame  de  Gontaut 
took  the  children  to  the  King's  room,  Charles  X.  held  out  his 
arms  to  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  and  pressed  him  for  a  moment  to 
his  heart.  Then,  setting  him  down,  he  took  up  a  paper  which 
he  had  apparently  just  finished  writing,  and  said  :  "  This  is  my 
abdication,  but  I  am   not  quite  satisfied  with  the  manner  in 

1  Lamartine. 


272  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

which  it  is  expressed."  And  he  handed  the  lady  a  letter 
addressed  to  the  Due  d'Orleans,  in  which  he  informed  that 
prince  that  he  had  resolved  to  abdicate  the  throne  in  favour  of 
his  grandson,  and  that  the  Dauphin  also  renounced  his  rights 
in  favour  of  his  nephew  ;  and  directed  him  to  proclaim  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux  King,  under  the  title  of  Henri  V.,  and  take  all  the 
necessary  measures  to  regulate  the  forms  of  government  during 
the  minority  of  the  new  Sovereign. 

While  Madame  de  Gontaut  was  reading  the  abdication,  the 
Dauphine  entered.  The  King  presented  it  to  her  ;  she  read  it, 
and  expressed  her  entire  approval.  Her  husband  followed, 
and,  merely  glancing  at  the  document,  with  the  purport  of  which 
he  was,  of  course,  already  acquainted,  took  up  a  pen  and  signed 
it.  All  three,  as  well  as  Madame  de  Gontaut,  were  in  tears, 
and  Mademoiselle,  observing  this,  said,  in  an  undertone,  to  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux :  "  Some  misfortune  is  going  to  happen  to 
us,  brother,  for  they  all  cry  when  they  look  at  us.  Let  us  go 
and  pray  to  the  good  God."  And  she  drew  him  out  on  to  the 
balcony,  where  they  knelt  down.  "  I  watched  them,"  writes 
Madame  de  Gontaut  ;  "  never  was  there  a  more  touching  scene  ! 
I  shall  never  forget  it." 

The  abdication  signed,  the  King  said  to  the  gouvernante  : 
"  Take  the  children  away ;  I  cannot  bear  to  see  them  so  sad. 
Go  and  try  and  amuse  them."  Madame  de  Gontaut  took  the 
children  to  their  own  apartments,  where  they  soon  recovered 
their  spirits,  and  were  playing  at  horses  with  a  team  of  chairs, 
when  the  Baron  de  Damas  entered,  bowed  low  to  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  and  said :  "  Sire  ! "  Then,  after  a  pause,  he  con- 
tinued :  "  Sire,  I  am  commissioned  to  inform  you  that  the  King, 
your  august  grandfather,  having  failed  to  give  happiness  to 
France,  in  spite  of  his  heartfelt  desire  to  do  so,  has  just  abdicated, 
and  it  is  you,  Monseigneur,  who  are  to  be  King,  under  the  name 
of  Henri  V.  The  little  prince  got  down  from  the  box,  and, 
standing  in  front  of  the  baron,  said  :  "  What !  Bon-papa,  who 
is  so  good,  could  not  make  France  happy  !  And  they  want  to 
make  me  King  ! "  Then,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  he  added  : 
"Why,  Monsieur  le  Baron,  what  you  are  telling  me  is  im- 
possible !  "  With  which  he  gathered  up  his  whip  and  reins,  and 
said  :  *'  Come,  sister,  let  us  go  on  with  our  game." 

Shortly  afterwards,  the  King  sent  for  Madame  de  Gontaut, 
and  inquired  how  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  had  received  the  news 


A    PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE  273 

of  his  royalty.  When  he  heard  what  the  boy  had  said,  he 
could  not  help  laughing. 

So  little  suspicion  had  Charles  X.  of  the  real  designs  of 
Louis-Philippe,  that  he  requested  Madame  de  Gontaut,  who  was 
on  very  affectionate  terms  with  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  to 
write  to  that  princess,  and  tell  her  that  "  they  were  entrusting 
to  her  care  all  that  they  held  most  dear  in  the  world."  "  I  have 
just  written  to  her,"  he  added,  "but  I  know  that  she  is  attached 
to  you,  and  a  letter  from  you  will  not  be  taken  amiss." 

Although  the  prospect  of  her  son  being  King  of  France 
naturally  appealed  to  the  maternal  pride  of  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  she  was  in  despair  at  the  thought  that  he  was  to  be 
snatched  from  her.  She  was  convinced  that  it  was  her  right  to 
remain  by  his  side,  and  that  the  regency  ought  to  belong  to  her. 
Had  not  Blanche  of  Castile,  Catherine  de'  Medici,  Marie  de' 
Medici,  and  Anne  of  Austria,  exercised  it  during  the  minority 
of  their  sons,  she  argued,  ignoring  the  fact  that  each  of  these 
princesses  had  been  Queen  of  France  ?  Why,  then,  should  she 
be  passed  over — she  who  was  a  Bourbon  by  birth  as  well  as 
by  marriage  ?  Recollecting,  too,  the  immense  popularity  which 
she  had  enjoyed,  and  the  enthusiastic  and  almost  idolatrous 
protestations  of  devotion  which  had  been  addressed  to  her  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage,  at  the  birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux, 
and  during  her  visits  to  the  provinces,  she  believed  that  any 
chance  that  might  exist  of  the  nation  refusing  to  accept  her  son 
as  King,  and  herself  as  Regent,  would  be  removed  if  she  were  to 
hasten  to  Paris  and  present  the  little  prince  in  person  to  the 
Chambers,  the  people,  and  the  Army. 

In  this  persuasion,  she  despatched  one  of  the  gentlemen  of 
her  Household  to  the  sous-prtfet  of  Rambouillet,  with  an  order 
to  procure  post-horses,  and  entreated  Charles  X.'s  permission  to 
set  out  with  her  son  for  Paris.  But  the  King  was  inflexible  in 
his  refusal  to  allow  his  grandson  to  incur  such  a  risk.  The 
princess  then  announced  her  intention  of  going  alone,  but  once 
more  the  King  interposed  his  authority ;  and,  though  she 
returned  again  and  again  to  the  charge,  and  a  post-chaise  with 
six  horses  attached  to  it  waited  in  the  courtyard  of  the  chateau 
the  whole  afternoon,  nothing  would  move  him,  and,  weeping 
bitterly,  she  was  finally  obliged  to  countermand  the  orders  she 
had  already  given  for  her  departure. 

Several   biographers  of  the   Duchesse  de   Berry,  including 


274  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Nettement  and  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  seem  to  be  of  opinion 
that,  if  the  princess  had  been  permitted  to  execute  her  project, 
she  might  have  succeeded  in  saving  the  throne  for  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux.  Certainly,  the  appearance  of  Madame  in  Paris  to 
plead  the  cause  of  her  son,  particularly  if  she  had  brought  the 
little  prince  with  her,  could  scarcely  have  failed  to  produce  a 
more  or  less  marked  revulsion  of  feeling,  which  would  have 
placed  the  Due  d'Orleans  and  his  confederates  in  a  very  em- 
barrassing position.  But  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  she  would 
never  have  been  allowed  to  show  herself  to  the  people,  much  less 
to  appear  before  the  Chambers ;  and  that  the  moment  she  was 
recognised,  she  would  have  been  arrested,  and  either  held  as  a 
hostage  or  sent  back  under  escort  to  Rambouillet. 

After  dinner,  Charles  X.,  who  had  substituted  ordinary 
evening-dress  for  the  splendid  uniform  decorated  with  Orders 
which  it  had  been  his  invariable  custom  to  wear,  visited  the 
bivouac  of  the  Gardes  du  corps,  accompanied  by  all  the  Royal 
Family.  He  announced  to  them  his  abdication  in  favour  of  his 
grandson,  whom  he  presented  to  them  as  their  King,  and  asked 
for  him  the  same  fidelity  which  they  had  shown  for  himself. 
When  he  had  finished  speaking,  there  was  a  great  rattle  of  steel ; 
every  sword  leaped  from  its  scabbard,  and  was  raised  aloft ;  and 
officers  and  men  rent  the  air  with  shouts  of  "  Vive  Henri  V. !  " 
The  Dauphin,  the  Dauphine,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  also 
addressed  the  troops,  and  the  last-named  "  seemed  to  electrify 
them,  for  she  spoke  of  glory  and  hope." 1 

Meanwhile,  the  act  of  abdication  had  been  printed,  and,  later 
in  the  evening,  Marmont,  who  had  resumed  command  of  the 
troops,  read  it  to  each  regiment  in  turn.  At  night,  the  counter- 
sign was  given  by  the  Baron  de  Damas  in  the  name  of  Henri  V. 

Between  three  and  four  o'clock  that  afternoon,  General  de 
Foissac-Latour,  who  had  been  selected  by  Charles  X.  to  deliver 
the  act  of  abdication  to  the  Due  d'Orleans,  had  started  for 
Paris.  On  reaching  the  Palais-Royal,  he  was  told  that  the 
duke  was  at  Neuilly  and  ill,  and  eventually  had  to  hand  the 
abdication,  together  with  Madame  de  Gontaut's  letter,  to 
the  duchess.  That  lady  read  the  letter  addressed  to  her  and 
said,  with  tears  in  her  eyes :  "  Tell  the  Royal  Family  that  my 
husband  is  an  honest  man,  and  repeat  it  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Gontaut." 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  275 

For  an  "  honest  man,"  Louis-Philippe,  who,  needless  to  say, 
was  in  the  Palais-Royal  all  the  while,  was  certainly  acting  in 
a  very  singular  way.  On  the  morning  of  August  2,  he  had 
announced  that  he  had  received  a  letter  from  Charles  X.,  the 
previous  night,  in  which  the  King  informed  him  that  he  was  on 
the  point  of  leaving  France,  and  asked  for  a  convoy  to  his  place 
of  embarkation.  Then  he  despatched  to  Rambouillet  five 
commissioners,  who  arrived  there  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock 
that  evening,  explained  their  mission  to  Marmont,  and  asked 
to  be  presented  to  the  King.  His  Majesty  declined  to  receive 
them,  and  answered  that  he  had  not  demanded  a  convoy  and 
needed  none,  and  that,  surrounded  by  a  faithful  army,  he 
intended  to  remain  where  he  was  and  await  the  result  of  the 
communication  he  had  ordered  the  Due  d'Orleans  to  make  to 
the  Chambers. 

The  commissioners,  not  a  little  astonished  at  the  "strange 
blunder  "  which  the  Lieutenant-General  had  committed,  returned 
immediately  to  Paris  and  reported  the  result  of  their  journey  to 
Louis-Philippe.  That  personage  was  becoming  seriously  uneasy 
at  the  presence  of  the  royal  army  so  near  the  capital,  for,  small 
as  was  its  numbers  at  present,  it  might  any  day  be  reinforced, 
when  it  might  advance  upon  Paris,  or  march  to  the  Loire,  and 
become  the  nucleus  of  another  Vendeen  rising.  "Charles  X. 
must  go ! "  he  said  to  the  commissioners ;  "  he  must  go  im- 
mediately !  and,  in  order  to  compel  him,  he  must  be  frightened  !  " 

He,  accordingly,  caused  a  report  to  be  set  on  foot  that 
Charles  X.  was  about  to  march  on  Paris,  and  sent  orders  to 
Lafayette,  who  commanded  the  National  Guard,  to  have  the 
call  to  arms  beaten  in  every  quarter  of  the  city.  The  fighting 
impulse  was  still  in  full  force  ;  the  people  flew  to  arms,  and  in 
three  or  four  hours  an  army,  the  strength  of  which  is  variously 
estimated  at  from  10,000  to  15,000  men,  had  assembled  in  the 
Champs-Elysdes. 

It  was  a  motley  array,  clad  in  every  variety  of  costume  and 
armed  with  every  description  of  weapon  ;  in  fact,  one  might 
have  taken  it  for  a  masquerade.  But  it  was  sufficient  for  the 
purpose  for  which  it  was  intended.  There  was,  indeed,  no 
intention  of  allowing  it  to  run  the  risk  of  a  speedy  and 
disastrous  defeat,  by  encountering  regular  troops  on  open 
ground.  The  orders  to  General  Pajol,  who  was  in  command, 
were  to  halt  at  some  distance  from  Rambouillet ;  while  three 


276  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

of  the  commissioners,  Marechal  Maison,  Baron  Schonen,  and 
Odilon-Barrot,  were  to  proceed  to  the  chateau,  and,  by  grossly 
exaggerating  the  strength  of  the  Parisian  rabble,  endeavour 
to  persuade  Charles  X.  that  he  had  no  alternative  between  de- 
parture from  France  and  a  sanguinary  conflict,  which  must 
inevitably  be  the  signal  for  a  general  civil  war. 

This  impudent  bluff  was  completely  successful.  While  the 
Due  d'Orleans  was  reading  to  the  assembled  Chambers  the 
letter  in  which  Charles  X.  abdicated  his  throne  and  the  Dauphin 
renounced  his  right  of  succession,  omitting  all  mention  of  the 
little  prince  in  whose  favour  these  renunciations  had  been 
made,  Pajol's  disorderly  mob,  having  requisitioned  every  private 
carriage  and  public  conveyance  upon  which  it  could  lay  its 
hands,  started  for  Rambouillet.  As  dusk  was  falling,  the 
Parisians  reached  Coignieres,  about  three  leagues  from  Ram- 
bouillet. Here  they  halted  and  proceeded  to  bivouac,  an 
advance-guard  being  sent  forward  to  the  village  of  Trappes, 
for  the  purpose  of  frustrating  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
Royalists  to  ascertain  the  strength  of  the  expeditionary  force. 
The  commissioners,  having  been  accorded  a  safe-conduct  by 
Marmont,  repaired  to  the  chateau,  and  were  received  by 
Charles  X.  With  a  skilful  assumption  of  emotion,  they  in- 
formed the  King  that  they  had  come  in  all  haste  to  implore 
him  to  depart  immediately  and  spare  France  the  horrors  of 
further  bloodshed,  as  a  great  force  of  armed  citizens  was 
marching  upon  Rambouillet,  and,  if  he  persisted  in  remaining, 
a  terrible  conflict  was  inevitable ;  and  Marechal  Maison,  in 
answer  to  a  question  from  his  Majesty  as  to  the  numbers  of 
the  approaching  force,  is  said  to  have  assured  him,  on  his  word 
of  honour  as  a  soldier,  that  it  must  be  from  sixty  to  eighty 
thousand  strong. 

The  King,  who  could  not  believe  that  a  marshal  of  France 
who  had  received  the  baton  from  his  own  hand,  was  capable  of 
deceiving  him,  thereupon  informed  the  commissioners  that  he 
would  let  them  know  his  decision  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and 
retired  to  consult  his  generals.  Some  were  in  favour  of  giving 
battle  to  the  insurgents  ;  but  Marmont,  who  had  all  along  been 
but  half-hearted  in  the  royal  cause,  and  was  unwilling  to 
compromise  himself  further  with  the  Revolution,  declared 
himself  very  dubious  as  to  the  result  of  an  engagement,  and 
advised  an  immediate  departure.     His  advice  coincided  with 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  277 

the  King's  own  inclinations,  for  he  shrank  from  exposing  the 
lives  of  his  faithful  soldiers  in  what  he  imagined  would  be  an 
unequal  combat ;  and  he  believed  that  a  renewal  of  the  blood- 
shed of  the  previous  week  would  ruin  his  grandson's  prospects 
of  ever  securing  the  throne.  Accordingly,  he  returned  to  the 
commissioners  and  informed  them  that  he  was  prepared  to 
accede  to  their  wishes,  and  Odilon-Barrot  joyfully  wrote  to  Pajol  : 
"  General,  you  may  arrest  your  movement ;  we  have  just  deter- 
mined the  King  to  depart,  by  dint  of  frightening  him.  His 
forces  were  considerable  .  .  .  Marechal  Maison  estimates  that 
there  were  not  less  than  ten  thousand  altogether." * 

Leaving  the  commissioners,  Charles  X.  returned  to  the 
grand  salon,  and  approached  the  Due  de  Noailles.2  "  My  dear 
duke,"  said  he,  "in  order  to  avoid  great  misfortunes,  I  have 
decided  to  go  away.  Will  you  receive  us  at  Maintenon  ? " 
The  duke  bowed  respectfully,  and,  summoning  a  carriage, 
hastened  off  to  prepare  for  the  King's  reception. 

At  nine  o'clock  that  evening,  the  Court  quitted  Rambouillet, 
accompanied  by  the  commissioners.  The  night  was  very  dark, 
and  the  road  encumbered  by  fugitives  and  deserters,  and  it 
was  not  until  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  August  4  that 
Charles  X.,  who  was  on  horseback,  entered  the  courtyard  of  the 
Chateau  of  Maintenon.  The  chateau  was  brilliantly  lighted 
as  though  for  a  fete,  and  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Noailles 
awaited  their  royal  guests  at  the  foot  of  the  steps.  The  King, 
who  looked  pale  and  worn,  spoke  for  a  few  moments  with  his 
hosts,  and,  aware  that  the  duchess  was  shortly  expecting  her 
confinement,  courteously  begged  her  not  to  exert  herself  further 
on  his  account.  Then  he  was  conducted  to  the  apartments 
formerly  occupied  by  Louis  XIV.,  which  had  been  prepared  for 
his  reception,  while  the  Dauphin  was  lodged  in  those  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  her  children  were 
accommodated  on  the  rez-de-chaussee. 

In  the  morning,  the  King  rose  early,  and,  to  the  despair  of 
those  who  had  cherished  the  hope  that  he  would  retire  to  the 

1  In  point  of  fact,  they  numbered  between  eight  and  nine  thousand,  including 
seven  batteries  of  horse-artillery ;  and  Pajol  afterwards  admitted  that  his  Parisians 
would  "have  scattered  like  frightened  sparrows"  at  the  first  attack. 

2  Paul,  Due  de  Noailles  (1802-1885).  He  was  the  author  of  an  admirable  and 
exhaustive  history  of  Madame  de  Maintenon,  and,  in  1849,  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  Academie-Francaise,  in  succession  to  Chateaubriand.  He  married,  in  1823, 
Alice  de  Rochechouart-Mortemart,  a  sister  of  the  Due  de  Moitemart. 


278  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Loire  and  make  an  attempt  at  government  in  the  name  of 
Henri  V.,  it  was  announced  that  he  had  definitely  decided  to 
quit  the  shores  of  France,  and  that  Cherbourg  was  his  destina- 
tion. Only  the  Gardes  du  corps  and  the  Gendarmerie  cCelite 
were  to  accompany  him  ;  the  Foot  Guard  regiments  and  the 
Hundred  Swiss  were  to  march  to  Chartres  or  Chalons,  to  be 
there  disbanded. 

A  few  minutes  before  the  hour  fixed  for  his  departure, 
Charles  X.,  accompanied  by  the  Royal  Family,  took  leave  of 
the  troops  who  were  to  be  left  behind.  As  he  thanked  them 
for  the  fidelity  which  they  had  shown  him,  his  voice  trembled 
with  emotion,  while  the  Dauphine  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
could  not  restrain  their  tears.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  speech, 
the  colonels  advanced  and  presented  the  colours  to  the  King, 
but  the  Dragoons  of  the  Guard  retained  theirs,  which  they 
divided  into  tiny  pieces  and  shared  piously  between  them,  as  a 
souvenir  of  the  prince  whom  they  had  served  with  such  touching 
devotion.1 

The  royal  cortege  took  the  road  to  Dreux,  the  carriage  of 
the  commissioners  preceding  those  of  the  Royal  Family.  The 
peasants  along  the  route  manifested  no  hostility,  but  it  was 
different  at  Dreux,  where  all  the  public  buildings  had  hoisted 
the  tricolour,  and  the  inhabitants  were  in  a  very  excited  state ; 
and  the  intervention  of  the  commissioners  was  necessary  to 
secure  the  Royal  Family  admission  to  the  town. 

The  night  of  August  4-5  was  passed  at  Dreux,  and  very 
early  on  the  following  morning  the  cortege  resumed  its  march. 
Notwithstanding  the  dismissal  of  the  troops  and  the  departure 
of  a  great  many  of  the  courtiers,  it  was  still  of  immense  length, 
for  to  the  long  file  of  carriages  which  contained  the  princes 
and  princesses,  their  Household,  and  their  servants,  was  joined 
a  prodigious  number  of  waggons  and  carts  loaded  with  plate, 
furniture,  and  luggage.  The  procession  presented  a  singular 
mixture  of  pomp  and  shabbiness  ;  and  behind  the  magnificent 
royal  coach  were  fastened  several  bundles  of  hay,  to  serve  as 
fodder  for  the  eight  splendid  horses  which  drew  it. 

The  journey  was  made  by  short  stages,  much  to  the  disgust 
of  Louis-Philippe,  who  could  not  feel  at  ease  so  long  as 
Charles  X.  was  on  French  territory ;  and  Guizot,  who  was  now 
Minister  of  the  Interior,  wrote  to  the  commissioners  complaining 

1  Not  a  single  man  of  this  regiment  had  deserted. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  279 

bitterly  of  their  slow  progress.  But  the  old  monarch,  either 
from  some  lingering  hope  that  his  grandson  might  yet  be 
accepted  in  his  stead,  or  from  reluctance  to  leave  the  realm 
which  he  had  lost  and  the  desire  to  retire  from  it  with  all  the 
majesty  of  a  king,  refused  to  accelerate  his  departure. 

It  was  a  melancholy  and  trying  journey.  The  heat  during 
the  first  few  days  was  overpowering,  and  was  rendered  the  more 
intolerable  by  the  clouds  of  dust  raised  by  the  horses'  feet. 
The  accommodation  and  food  at  the  inns  at  which  they  stopped 
were  sometimes  very  indifferent,  and,  though  the  King  and  the 
Royal  Family  were  fairly  comfortably  lodged,  the  members  of 
their  respective  suites  had  sometimes  to  content  themselves 
with  garrets  and  mattresses  or  beds  of  straw.  The  tricolour 
flag  seemed  to  be  everywhere,  and  the  attitude  of  the  people, 
though  they  abstained  from  any  hostile  manifestations,  and, 
indeed,  occasionally  raised  their  hats  as  the  King  passed,  indi- 
cated very  plainly  that  they  endorsed  the  verdict  of  the  capital. 

The  faithful  General  de  Reiset,  who,  on  learning  of  the 
Revolution,  had  hastened  from  Artois  to  Paris,  and  thence  to 
Normandy,  to  offer  his  services  to  his  Sovereign,  came  up  with 
the  cortege  on  August  10,  at  a  little  country-inn  a  few  miles 
from  Falaise,  where  the  Royal  Family  had  stopped  to  breakfast. 
In  his  Souvenirs,  recently  published  by  his  grandson,  he  has  left 
us  an  interesting  account  of  his  meeting  with  Charles  X.,  whom 
he  had  last  seen  at  Saint-Cloud,  a  day  or  two  before  the  Ordi- 
nances were  signed,  surrounded  by  all  the  pomp  of  majesty. 
"I  was  admitted  to  a  room  on  the  ground-floor,"  he  writes. 
"  The  King  was  there,  seated  on  a  straw  chair,  before  a  clumsy 
table,  talking  familiarly  with  several  persons.  The  princes  were 
grouped  about  him,  having  for  seats  only  simple  benches.  It 
was  in  this  room  that  his  Majesty  had  just  taken  his  repast 
with  his  family.  I  had  difficulty  in  controlling  my  emotion, 
and,  in  kissing  his  Majesty's  hand,  I  was  only  able  to  stammer 
a  few  words,  to  tell  him  that  I  had  come  to  place  myself  at  his 
orders.  'Ah!  my  poor  Reiset,'  said  the  King  to  me,  sadly, 
4  who  could  have  supposed,  when  I  saw  you  at  Saint-Cloud,  a 
fortnight  ago,  that  it  would  be  in  a  place  like  this  that  we  should 
meet  again  ! '  And,  as  I  endeavoured  to  reply  that  all  hope 
was  not  yet  lost,  and  that  many  others  were  ready  like  myself 
to  shed  their  blood  for  the  cause  of  Monarchy,  the  King 
rejoined  sadly,  •  Oh !  I  know,  I  know,  you  are  among  the  good, 


280  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

and  even  among  the  best,  my  dear  Reiset,  but  what  can  you  do 
now  ?  You  see  in  what  position  we  are ;  I  have  abdicated  ;  I 
am  no  longer  anything,  nor  is  the  Dauphin.'  " 

The  Court  slept  that  night  at  Cond6-sur-Noireau.  This 
little  town  passed  as  very  hostile  to  the  royal  cause,  and  the 
commissioners,  who  dreaded  that  a  collision  might  occur  between 
the  escort  and  the  inhabitants,  had  entreated  the  King  to  change 
his  route  and  pass  through  Caen,  where  tranquillity  was  assured. 
His  Majesty,  however,  declined,  and  events  justified  his  refusal ; 
for,  though  the  National  Guards  abstained  from  rendering  any 
military  honour,  there  was  no  attempt  at  a  hostile  demonstra- 
tion.1 The  King  was  lodged  in  one  of  the  best  houses  in  the 
town,  which  the  owner,  who  was  a  Protestant,  had  placed  at  his 
disposal.  This  gentleman,  fearing  that  he  might  not  be  agree- 
able to  his  Majesty  on  this  account,  said  to  him :  "  Sire,  it  is  a 
great  honour  that  you  condescend  to  do  me  ;  but  I  ought  not 
to  leave  you  in  ignorance  that  I  belong  to  the  Reformed  re- 
ligion." "Do  not  excuse  yourself,  Monsieur,"  answered  the 
King,  smiling ;  "it  was  the  religion  of  Henri  IV." 

On  the  i  ith,  Charles  X.  slept  at  Vire,  at  the  Chateau  of 
Cotin,  where  he  was  received  with  the  greatest  respect  by  the 
owner,  M.  Roger ;  but  the  tricolour  waved  above  all  the  public 
buildings  of  the  towns  and  created  a  painful  impression.  The 
following  day,  on  arriving  at  the  frontier  of  the  Department  of 
La  Manche,  the  King  was  met,  as  much  to  his  surprise  as  to 
his  gratification,  by  the  prefect,  the  Comte  d'Estourmel,  who 
begged  permission  to  accompany  his  Majesty  to  Cherbourg, 
and  offered  him  the  hospitality  of  his  official  residence  at 
Saint-L6.  It  was  here  that,  thanks  to  the  kindness  of  Madame 
d'Estourmel,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  at  length  able  to 
replace  the  masculine  costume  in  which  she  had  travelled  from 
Saint-Cloud  by  more  suitable  habiliments,  and  to  obtain  a 
change  of  underlinen. 

Carentan  was  to  have  been  the  next  stage,  but  a  ridiculous 
report  had  been  circulated  among  the  inhabitants  that  Charles  X. 
was  advancing  with  a  numerous  army  to  Cherbourg,  in  order 
to  seize  that  port  and  deliver  it  to  Great  Britain  ;  and,  though 

1  There  was,  however,  great  animosity  against  Marmont,  who  was  advised  to 
remove  some  of  his  decorations,  so  as  to  escape  recognition.  It  was  reported  that  he 
had  been  obliged  to  change  his  lodging  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  as  an  attack  upon 
him  had  been  planned. 


LOUIS-PHILIPPE    I,   KIN<;  OK   THE    FRENCH 

FROM    THE    PAINTING    BY   WTNTERH ALTER    IN    THE    MUSEE    DE   VERSAILLES 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  281 

the  commissioners,  who  had  hastened  on  in  advance  of  the 
royal  cortege,  succeeded  in  reassuring  them,  it  was  deemed 
advisable  to  push  on  to  Valognes. 

In  passing  through  Carentan,  Charles  X.  was  informed  that 
the  Due  d'Orleans  had  consummated  his  usurpation  and  assumed 
the  title  of  King  of  the  French.  He  refused  to  credit  it  and 
spoke  of  it  simply  as  a  rumour ;  but  the  news  was,  of  course, 
only  too  true. 

Between  Carentan  and  Valognes,  the  country  was  strongly 
Royalist  in  its  sympathies,  and  the  peasants,  who  had  gathered 
in  numbers  along  the  road,  greeted  the  Royal  Family  with 
cries  of  "  Vive  le  Roi /  Vivent  les  Bourbons!"  and  pressed 
around  the  carriage  of  the  little  Due  de  Bordeaux  to  kiss  his 
hand.  The  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  greatly  moved,  and  com- 
plained bitterly  that  Charles  X.  should  have  abandoned  the 
struggle  when  he  possessed  such  faithful  subjects.  "  Let  us 
stay  here,"  she  cried  ;  "  let  us  cling  fast  to  a  tree,  to  a  post,  but, 
for  God's  sake,  let  us  go  no  further ! "  However,  it  was  now  too 
late  for  repentance,  and  that  evening  they  reached  Valognes, 
the  last  stage  from  Cherbourg,  in  the  midst  of  pouring  rain, 
which  did  not  tend  to  raise  their  spirits. 

The  Royal  Family  was  lodged  at  the  house  of  a  M.  du 
Mesnildot,  where  the  Empress  Marie  Louise  had  stayed  in 
August  1813,  when  she  was  on  her  way  to  Cherbourg  to  open 
the  great  dock.  The  unfortunate  troops  of  the  escort  had  to 
bivouac  in  the  open,  for  scarcely  any  shelter  was  to  be  obtained 
in  this  little  town.  No  complaints,  however,  were  heard  from 
them,  and  the  endurance  and  fidelity  of  the  Gardes  du  corps, 
little  accustomed  as  they  were  to  such  privations,  were  beyond 
all  praise.  "Never,"  writes  Marmont,  "had  a  corps  displayed 
a  more  admirable  spirit.  Order,  respect,  and  devotion  reigned 
to  the  very  end." * 

It  was  not  until  reaching  Valognes  that  the  question  of 
Charles  X.'s  destination,  after  leaving  France,  was  definitely 
settled.  He  had  successively  proposed  to  land  at  Ostend, 
Amsterdam,  and  Hamburg ;  but  the  French  Government,  which 
was  determined  to  drive  the  dethroned  Sovereign  not  only  from 
France,  but  from  the  Continent,  prohibited  all  three.  He, 
therefore,  decided  to  disembark  at  Portsmouth,  and  wrote  to 
William  IV.  to  ask  for  a  temporary  asylum  in  his  dominions. 

1  Memoires. 


282  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Another  difficulty  had  arisen  in  regard  to  the  vessels  which 
were  to  transport  the  exiles  across  the  Channel,  since  the  King 
absolutely  refused  to  embark  in  any  ship  which  flew  the  tri- 
colour flag.  It  was  finally  surmounted  by  the  Government 
chartering  two  American  vessels  lying  at  Le  Havre,  the  Great 
Britain  and  the  Claude  Carroll. 

The  following  day,  August  14 — the  Festival  of  the  Assump- 
tion— the  Court  remained  at  Valognes,  and  Charles  X.  sought 
consolation  for  his  misfortunes  in  religious  exercises.  The 
other  members  of  the  Royal  Family  followed  his  example,  the 
Dauphine  and  Madame  communicating  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
church  of  Valognes. 

At  midday,  a  touching  ceremony  took  place.  Before  parting 
from  his  brave  and  devoted  Gardes  du  corps,  who  would  escort 
him  on  the  morrow  for  the  last  time,  the  old  King  desired  to 
take  leave  of  them  publicly.  All  the  officers  and  the  twenty- 
five  oldest  troopers  of  each  company  marched,  in  full-dress 
uniform,  to  the  royal  lodging,  and  the  captains,  in  turn,  advanced 
and  laid  their  standards  at  the  feet  of  the  King,  who  was  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  Royal  Family.  His  Majesty  took  the 
standards  and  embraced  the  officers  who  carried  them,  and,  in 
a  voice  broken  by  emotion,  said  :  "  I  shall  never  forget,  gentle- 
men, the  proofs  of  attachment  which  you  have  given  me.  I 
thank  you  for  your  devotion  and  your  fidelity.  I  take  back 
these  standards,  which  are  without  stain,  with  the  hope  that 
one  day  my  grandson  will  restore  them  to  you."  The  other 
members  of  the  Royal  Family,  including  the  Due  de  Bordeaux 
and  Mademoiselle,  also  spoke  a  word  of  farewell  ;  and  then,  as 
Charles  X.,  anxious  to  put  an  end  to  so  painfnl  a  scene,  was 
turning  away,  followed  by  his  relatives,  officers  and  men  rushed 
forward  and  crowded  round  them  to  kiss  their  hands.  In  the 
evening  each  garde  du  corps  received  a  copy  of  the  order  of 
the  day,  published  after  this  touching  ceremony,  which  stated 
that  his  Majesty  had  ordered  the  muster-rolls  of  each  company 
to  be  sent  to  him,  so  that  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  might  preserve 
the  recollection  of  their  devotion. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  following  morning,  after  taking  a  simi- 
larly affecting  farewell  of  the  Gendarmerie  d'elite,  the  Royal 
Family  set  out  on  the  last  stage  of  its  journey.  Both  Charles  X. 
and  the  Dauphin  had  laid  aside  their  uniforms  and  Orders  for 
civilian  dress,  a  change  which  announced  that  the  moment  of 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  283 

their  departure  into  exile  was  close  at  hand.  At  one  o'clock, 
the  cortege,  escorted  [yy  the  Gardes  du  corps,  who  still  wore 
their  white  cockades,  entered  Cherbourg,  where  almost  every 
house  displayed  the  tricolour,  in  honour  of  the  accession  of 
Louis-Philippe,  and  proceeded,  without  stopping,  through  the 
faubourgs  to  gain  the  military  port.  The  streets  were  crowded, 
but  beyond  a  few  cries  of  "  A  bas  la  cocarde  blanche  !  Vive  la 
liberti '/"  there  was  nothing  in  the  nature  of  a  hostile  demon- 
stration. The  National  Guards  did  not  render  any  military 
honour,  but  the  officers  of  the  64th  Regiment,  detachments  of 
which  were  stationed  at  intervals  along  the  route,  respectfully 
lowered  their  swords. 

The  port  was  reached  shortly  before  two  o'clock.  The 
Gardes  du  corps  drew  up  in  line  facing  the  sea ;  the  carriages 
advanced  to  a  gangway  covered  with  blue  cloth,  which  led  to 
the  Great  Britain,  the  vessel  upon  which  the  Royal  Family 
was  to  embark,  and  then  stopped.  The  step  of  the  King's 
carriage  was  let  down,  and  Charles  X.  alighted ;  the  Dauphin 
followed,  holding  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  by  the  hand ;  then 
came  Mademoiselle,  holding  the  hand  of  Madame  de  Gontaut ; 
the  Dauphine,  leaning  on  the  arm  of  M.  de  la  Rochejaquelein, 
and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  escorted  by  another  Vendeen  noble, 
the  Baron  de  Charette,  "  whose  name  was  a  prognostic."  1  The 
Dauphine  was  dressed  entirely  in  black,  and  her  eyes  were  red 
with  weeping  ;  Madaine  had  resumed  the  green  redingote  and 
masculine  hat  which  she  had  worn  during  the  first  part  of  the 
journey,  and  carried  a  little  pet  dog  under  her  arm. 

The  commissioners,  the  maritime  prefect,  and  Captain  Du- 
mont-d'Urville,  who  was  to  command  the  Great  Britain,  were 
awaiting  them.  The  last-named  was  not  in  uniform,  as  he 
desired  to  spare  the  King  the  sight  of  the  tricolour  cockade. 
The  prefect  presented  him  to  Charles  X.,  and  he  inquired  to 
what  port  his  Majesty  desired  to  proceed.  The  King  replied 
that  he  had  decided  to  go  to  Portsmouth,  and  there  await 
the  reply  to  the  letter  which  he  had  written  to  the  King  of 
England.  In  case  any  difficulty  arose,  he  proposed  to  go  to 
Palermo.  He  then  had  some  conversation  with  the  commis- 
sioners in  regard  to  his  private  affairs,  and  gave  them  a  few 
lines  in  his  own  hand  testifying  to  the  courtesy  and  considera- 
tion with  which  they  had  discharged  their  delicate  mission. 

1  Lamartine. 


284  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

The  moment  had  now  come  for  Charles  X.  to  take  leave  of 
the  faithful  adherents — some  sixty  in  all — who  had  followed 
him  to  Cherbourg,  but  who  were  not  to  accompany  him  into 
exile.  It  was  a  pathetic  scene,  as  one  by  one  they  came 
forward  to  kiss  the  hand  of  the  Sovereign  who,  with  all  his 
faults,  had  been  one  of  the  best  and  kindest  of  masters.  The 
old  King  bore  the  ordeal  bravely,  as  did  the  Dauphin  and 
Dauphine,  but  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  gave  free  vent  to  her 
grief  and  sobbed  bitterly.  At  length,  it  was  over,  and  im- 
mediately the  last  of  the  courtiers  of  misfortune  had  stepped 
on  shore,  the  gangway  was  raised,  the  Gardes  du  corps  pre- 
sented arms  for  the  last  time,  and  the  Great  Britain  and  the 
Charles  Carroll  were  towed  out  into  the  roadstead,  and  were 
soon  standing  out  to  sea  under  a  favouring  breeze. 

For  the  third  time  within  forty  years  the  Bourbons  had 
passed  into  exile  ;  but,  this  time,  there  was  to  be  no  return  ! 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

Arrival  of  the  exiled  family  at  Cowes— Lulworth  Castle,  in  Dorsetshire,  is  placed 
at  their  disposal — Refusal  of  the  British  Government  to  treat  them  otherwise  than  as 
private  persons  of  distinction — Ungenerous  attitude  of  the  Press— Sympathy  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington — Kindness  shown  by  the  Marquis  of  Anglesey  and  his 
daughters  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry — The  Royal  Family  at  Lulworth  Castle— Tour 
made  by  Madame  through  the  West  and  Midlands — Charles  X.,  persecuted  by  his 
old  creditors,  obtains  permission  to  remove  to  Holyrood — The  Duchesse  de  Berry  in 
London — She  rejoins  her  relatives  in  Scotland — Death  of  her  father,  Francis  I.  of 
the  Two  Sicilies — Determination  of  Madame  to  endeavour  to  recover  the  Crown  for 
her  son,  and  to  play  an  active  part  in  the  projected  expedition  herself— Extraordinary 
influence  of  Sir  Waller  Scott's  novels  upon  her  imagination — Futile  efforts  of 
Charles  X.  to  persuade  her  to  renounce  her  bellicose  projects — The  title  of  Regent  of 
France  conferred  upon  her — Madame  at  Bath — She  receives  enthusiastic  promises 
of  support  from  all  parts  of  France — She  sails  for  Rotterdam  en  route  for  Italy. 

SCARCELY  had  the  Great  Britain  and  the  Charles 
Carroll  passed  the  mouth  of  the  port  than  two  French 
ships  of  war,  the  Seine,  a  brig  of  twenty-six  guns,  and 
the  Rodeur,  a  cutter  of  six  guns,  which  had  been  lying  in  the 
roadstead,  weighed  anchor  and  followed  them.  Instructions 
had  been  sent  to  the  commander  of  these  two  vessels  to  keep 
the  Great  Britain  in  sight  until  she  had  reached  Portsmouth, 
the  Government  of  Louis-Philippe  being  apparently  appre- 
hensive lest  the  exiles  should  overpower  the  crew  and  make  for 
the  coast  of  la  Vendee.  This  precautionary  measure  had  been 
kept  from  the  knowledge  of  Charles  X.,  who  would  certainly 
have  warmly  protested  against  it ;  and  it  was  not  until  he  was 
out  at  sea  that  his  attention  was  drawn  to  the  presence  of  the 
escort. 

The  short  voyage  was  uneventful,  and  about  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  of  August  18  the  Great  Britain  arrived  at  Spit- 
head,  whence  she  was  towed  to  Cowes.  Here  the  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  the  children  landed 
under  assumed  names,  and  took  up  their  quarters  at  an  inn  ; 
while  the  Due  de  Luxembourg  and  the  Comtes  de  Choiseul 
and  de  Mesnard  were  despatched  to  London,  to  interview  the 

285 


286  A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Duke  of  Wellington  on  the  subject  of  the  future  residence  of 
the  Royal  Family. 

Wellington  did  not  disguise  from  the  deputation  that  recent 
events  in  Paris  had  produced  great  excitement  in  England,  and 
that  public  feeling  was  very  antagonistic  to  the  Bourbons.  It 
was,  he  said,  therefore,  advisable  that  Charles  X.,  instead  of 
disembarking  at  Portsmouth,  should  remain  on  the  Great 
Britain  until  some  country-house  near  the  coast  could  be  found 
for  him,  to  which  he  might  proceed  without  the  risk  of  en- 
countering any  hostile  demonstration.  The  exiled  sovereign 
had  not  long  to  wait,  however,  as  on  August  20  Mesnard 
returned,  bringing  a  letter  from  William  IV.,  in  which  he 
informed  him  that  Lulworth  Castle,  in  Dorsetshire,  had  been 
placed  at  his  disposal,  until  such  time  as  he  should  determine 
in  what  part  of  the  country  he  preferred  to  reside.  At  the 
same  time,  Mesnard  was  charged  by  the  British  Government 
to  intimate  to  his  master  that  the  hospitality  of  our  shores 
was  only  extended  to  him  on  the  understanding  that  he 
abandoned  all  claims  to  be  received  with  the  honours  due  to 
his  rank. 

Certain  French  historians  have  declaimed  against  what  they 
are  pleased  to  style  the  ungenerous  reception  accorded  the 
fallen  family  by  the  British  Government,  which  they  contrast 
with  that  received  by  James  II.  on  his  arrival  in  France  in 
1688.  Nothing  could  be  more  absurd.  Except  that  both  the 
Stuart  and  the  Bourbon  sovereigns  owed  the  loss  of  their  crowns 
to  their  contemptuous  disregard  of  public  opinion,  the  two 
cases  present  no  parallel.  By  the  France  of  1688,  James  II. 
was  regarded  as  a  martyr  in  the  cause  of  the  religion  which  was 
that  of  the  vast  majority  of  Frenchmen,  and  the  Revolution 
marked  the  triumph  of  those  principles  to  which  the  Govern- 
ment of  Louis  XIV.  was  most  diametrically  opposed.  To  the 
England  of  1830,  Charles  X.  was  a  baffled  tyrant,  who  had  not 
scrupled  to  shed  the  blood  of  his  subjects  in  an  attempt  to 
violate  the  Charter  and  re-establish  a  system  of  government 
which  Englishmen  had  rejected  a  century  and  a  half  ago.  In 
the  chief  towns  throughout  the  kingdom  public  meetings  were 
being  held  "to  express  satisfaction  at  the  late  glorious  occur- 
rences in  France,"  that  in  Edinburgh  being  presided  over  by 
the  Lord  Provost  ;  while  all  the  leading  journals  were  pro- 
moting subscriptions  for  the  benefit  of  the  widows  and  orphans 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  287 

of  those  who  had  fallen  on  the  three  days  of  July.  Again,  the 
successor  of  James  II.  was  William  of  Orange,  the  sworn 
enemy  of  France ;  the  successor  of  Charles  X.  was  Louis- 
Philippe,  with  whom  England  had  no  quarrel,  and  whose  sus- 
ceptibilities she  was  not  unnaturally  anxious  to  spare.  In  such 
circumstances,  it  would  have  surely  been  both  impolitic  and 
ridiculous  had  William  IV.  and  his  Ministers  received  the  exiled 
Sovereign  and  his  relatives  other  than  as  private  persons  of 
distinction. 

At  the  same  time,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  English 
journals  might  well  have  displayed  more  generosity  towards  the 
fallen  family  which  had  come  to  seek  an  asylum  on  our  shores. 
Here,  for  instance,  are  the  terms  in  which  the  Times  of 
August  19  announces  the  arrival  of  the  exiles : 

"  At  length,  the  once  Royal  Family  of  France  are  arrived  on 
our  shores.  The  King,  contrary  to  former  reports,  is  described 
as  putting  on  a  cheerful  aspect ;  in  another  journal,  however, 
he  is  said  to  have  appeared  disconsolate.  The  Duchesse 
d'Angouleme  is  said  to  be  absorbed  in  grief.  The  Duchesse  de 
Berry  and  her  ill-starred  children  complete  the  wretched  group. 
Perhaps,  she  would  have  done  better  to  retire  to  Naples,  to  her 
father's  Court:  she  has  committed  no  crime.  With  regard  to 
the  Bourbons,  the  chiefs  of  the  family,  though  the  sight  or  near 
approach  to  misery  is  affecting,  we  cannot  pity  them.  .  .  . 

"  It  is  an  undoubted  truth  that  they  have  been  much  more 
kindly  treated  than  they  deserve.  We  suppose  they  may  be 
admitted  here,  so  far  as  their  convenience  requires,  if  they  wish 
it,  on  their  passage  to  another  country  :  their  baseness  cannot 
contaminate  our  soil.  It  is  said  that,  when  they  arrived  at 
Cowes,  Charles  X.  did  not  wish  to  land  till  he  should  hear  the 
determination  of  the  English  Government,  and  that  he  for- 
warded a  letter  to  the  King  of  England  by  some  gentlemen  of 
his  suite.  What  the  answer  of  the  King  or  the  Government 
may  be  we  do  not,  of  course,  know,  but  we  take  it  for  granted 
that  they  can  only  be  received  as  a  private  family.  It  is 
said  that  they  do  not  mean  to  stay  here.  We  are  glad  of  it. 
But,  stay  or  go,  they  have,  we  presume,  nothing  more  to  expect 
than  mere  strangers." 

And  on  the  following  day : 

"Nothing  we  believe  has  yet  transpired  with  respect  to 
the  self-invited    guest   at    Portsmouth.  .  .  We    should    rather 


288  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

think  that  the  coolness  of  his  reception  here  may  induce 
him  to  put  to  the  test  the  old  proverb  which  is  quoted,  about 
'  g°mg  farther.'  " 

Happily  for  the  credit  of  the  nation,  English  Society  showed 
far  more  sympathy  for  the  exiles  than  the  tone  of  the  Press 
would  lead  one  to  suppose.  Before  the  arrival  of  the  deputation 
which  had  been  despatched  to  London,  Wellington  wrote,  in  his 
private  capacity,  a  very  kind  letter  to  his  old  friend  Madame 
de  Gontaut,  assuring  her  that  Charles  X.  and  his  family  would 
be  at  liberty  to  reside  wherever  they  pleased ;  Lord  and  Lady 
Mornington,  who  brought  the  duke's  letter  to  Portsmouth,  sent 
a  present  of  fruit  to  the  royal  children  ;  and  the  Marquis  of 
Anglesey,  governor  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  his  daughters, 
visited  the  princesses  at  Cowes,  and  showed  them  every  atten- 
tion, the  ladies  "  going  so  far  as  to  furnish  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
with  linen  and  even  with  dresses,  as  she  had  brought  nothing 
away  from  Paris." 1 

Early  on  the  morning  of  August  23,  Charles  X.  and  the 
Dauphin  left  the  Great  Britain  and  embarked  on  a  steamboat, 
which  landed  them  at  Weymouth,  whence  they  proceeded  to 
Lulworth  Castle.  The  princesses  and  the  children  joined  them 
there  on  the  following  day. 

Lulworth  Castle — the  seat  of  the  old  Catholic  family  of 
Weld — is  situated  about  three  miles  from  Lulworth  Cove,  so 
well  known  to  tourists  on  the  south  coast,  in  the  midst  of  an 
immense  wooded  park,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  nearly  five 
miles  in  circumference.  On  the  estate  is  a  Catholic  chapel, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  erected  in  England  after  the 
Reformation,  and  is  described  by  Fanny  Burney  as  a  "  Pantheon 
in  miniature,  ornamented  with  immense  wealth  and  richness." 
The  old  castle  presents  with  its  four  sombre  towers  a  most 
imposing  appearance,  but  it  was  at  this  period  far  from  a  com- 
fortable residence,  as  it  had  not  been  inhabited  for  years  and  was 
in  a  ruinous  condition.  Madame  de  Gontaut,  indeed,  declares 
that  so  bad  was  the  state  of  some  of  the  bedrooms  that,  in  wet 
weather,  their  occupants  had  to  put  up  umbrellas. 

At  Lulworth,  Charles  X.  dispensed  with  all  ceremony  and 
lived  the  life  of  a  simple  country-gentleman.  To  have  attempted 
to  keep  up  even  an  appearance  of  royal  state  would  indeed  have 
been  absurd,  since  his  private  fortune  was  only  a  moderate  one, 

1  Duchesse  de  Gontaut,  Memoires. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  289 

and  until  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  silver  dinner-service  arrived 
from  Rosny  he  was  compelled  to  make  use  of  a  plated  one,  like 
an  ordinary  mortal.  Neither  he,  nor  the  Dauphin,  nor  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux,  wore  any  decorations.  The  King  had  assumed 
the  name  of  the  Comte  de  Ponthieu,  the  Dauphin  and  Dauphine 
that  of  the  Comte  and  Comtesse  de  Marnes,  and  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  that  of  the  Comtesse  de  Rosny. 

Madame,  though  sincerely  attached  to  her  relatives,  found 
time  at  Lulworth  hang  very  heavily  on  her  hands,  and  early  in 
September,  accompanied  by  the  inevitable  Mesnard  and  Madame 
de  Bouille,  she  set  off  on  a  tour  through  the  West  and  Midlands. 
She  visited  Wells,  Bath,  Bristol,  Gloucester,  Cheltenham, 
Malvern,  and  Birmingham,  and  made  short  stays  at  several 
country  houses,  notably  at  Kedleston,  with  Lord  Scarsdale, 
and  at  Chatsworth,  with  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  where  she 
heroically  refused  to  dance  on  account  of  the  misfortunes  of  her 
family. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  month,  she  returned  to  Lulworth, 
which  the  Royal  Family  shortly  afterwards  quitted  for  Holy- 
rood.  The  reason  for  this  somewhat  abrupt  departure  was  the 
threatening  attitude  assumed  by  Charles  X.'s  old  creditors,  the 
commissaries  of  the  Army  of  Conde,  who  laid  wait  for  him  when 
he  took  his  walks  in  the  park,  and  menaced  him  with  legal 
proceedings  if  their  claims  were  not  satisfied.  These  claims, 
it  should  be  mentioned,  had  already  been  adjudicated  upon  by 
the  Paris  courts,  who  had  decided  in  favour  of  Charles  X.,  but 
it  was  possible  that  the  English  courts  might  take  a  different 
view  of  the  matter ;  and,  any  way,  it  would  be  extremely 
humiliating  for  the  old  King  to  be  obliged  to  appear  before 
them.  He  accordingly  requested  permission  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  return  to  his  old  asylum  at  Holyrood,  and,  this 
being  immediately  granted,  on  October  15,  1830,  he  sailed  for 
Scotland. 

Charles  X.  was  accompanied  by  the  Dauphin  and  Dauphine 
and  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  but  Mademoiselle,  under  the  charge 
of  Madame  de  Gontaut,  made  the  journey  by  land,  as  did  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  who  spent  some  time  in  London  before 
proceeding  to  the  North. 

In  London,  the  duchess  occupied    a   house  adjoining  the 
Neapolitan    Legation,    and    the    Ambassador,   the    Count   di 
Rudolfi,  gave  a  grand  dinner-party  in  her  honour,  at  which  the 
u 


29o  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Duke  of  Wellington  and  other  distinguished  persons  were 
present.  This  dinner-party  gave  great  umbrage  to  Talleyrand, 
who  had  been  appointed  the  representative  of  the  July  Monarchy 
in  London,  and  who  wrote  to  his  Government  that  the  Neapolitan 
Ambassador  did  not  seem  sufficiently  to  recollect  that,  if  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  were  the  daughter  of  his  Sovereign,  the 
Queen  of  the  French  was  his  sister.  He  added  that  the  princess 
"  showed  herself  too  much  on  the  promenades  and  in  places  of 
public  resort,"  and  that  people  "  found  it  difficult  to  understand 
her  position."  a  And,  in  a  subsequent  despatch,  he  expressed 
his  belief  that  she  was  in  active  communication  with  disaffected 
persons  in  Paris  and  la  Vendee,  and  was  probably  meditating 
some  attempt  against  the  new  dynasty. 

In  November,  Madame  rejoined  her  relatives  at  Holyrood, 
where,  in  the  words  of  Victor  Hugo,  Charles  X.  had  found 

"Cette  hospitalite  melancholique  et  sombre 
Qu'on  recoit  et  qu'on  rend  des  Stuarts  a  Bourbons." 

The  sombre  and  melancholy  hospitality  of  the  old  palace  of  the 
Scottish  Kings,  and  the  dull  and  monotonous  existence  which 
Charles  X.  lived  there,  were,  as  we  may  suppose,  not  at  all  to  the 
taste  of  a  young  woman  so  full  of  life  and  energy  as  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  and  she  was  profoundly  bored.  The  northern  winter, 
too,  naturally  proved  extremely  trying  to  one  born  under  the 
blue  sky  of  Naples,  and  she  suffered  much  from  rheumatism  ; 
while,  to  make  matters  worse,  the  New  Year  brought  the  news 
of  the  death  of  her  father,  Francis  I.  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  to  whom 
she  was  deeply  attached. 

"You  cannot  conceive  my  grief  on  learning  of  the  death  of 
my  father,"  she  writes,  under  date  January  9,  1831,  to  her  old 
friend  the  Comtesse  de  Meffray.  "  It  is  an  angel  the  more  in 
Heaven,  and  we  are  much  better  off  there  than  here.  .  .  .  The 
climate  here  is  not  cold,  but  windy.  For  a  week  I  have  not 
been  able  to  go  out ;  it  is  very  tedious." 2 

Tedious  as  her  existence  may  have  been,  Madame,  never- 
theless, found  plenty  to  occupy  her  mind  those  dreary  winter 
months.  For  the  astute  Talleyrand  was  not  deceived  in  his 
belief  that  the  princess  was  meditating  some  bold  project 
against  the  new  dynasty.  The  Revolution  of  July  had  made  of 
this  young  woman,  hitherto  so  indifferent  to  politics,  an  intriguer, 

1  Imbert  de  Saint- Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry  et  la  Vendie. 
■  E.  Thinia,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry \ 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  291 

a  conspirator,  of  the  most  ardent  kind,  and  had  aroused  in  her 
all  the  passion,  the  courage,  and  the  determination  which  she 
had  inherited  from  her  grandmother,  Maria  Carolina.  If 
Charles  X.  and  the  Dauphin  regarded  the  catastrophe  which 
had  overtaken  them  as  a  decree  of  Providence,  and  were  in- 
disposed to  take  any  active  steps  to  recover  the  Crown  which 
they  had  permitted  to  slip  so  easily  from  them,  she  absolutely 
refused  to  allow  the  rights  of  her  son  to  be  sacrificed.  How 
could  any  woman  who  possessed  a  spark  of  maternal  pride,  she 
asked,  calmly  resign  herself  to  the  idea  that  in  three  days  the 
brilliant  future  of  her  child  had  been  permanently  changed  ; 
that,  in  place  of  sitting  upon  the  throne  of  his  ancestors  and 
making  for  himself  an  honourable  place  in  history,  he  must 
spend  the  rest  of  his  life  as  a  "pretender" — one  of  those  un- 
fortunate princes  whose  claims  to  kingly  rank  are  a  source  of 
embarrassment  and  irritation  to  the  sovereigns  who  extend  to 
them  a  grudging  hospitality,  and  of  contemptuous  amusement  to 
the  people  over  whom  they  aspire  to  rule  ? 

"  When  one  has  secured  the  chance  of  succeeding  to  the 
Crown,"  the  Duchesse  du  Maine  had  observed  in  17 14,  in 
discussing  the  events  which  might  happen  after  the  death  of 
Louis  XIV.,  "  one  ought  rather  than  suffer  it  to  be  snatched  from 
one  to  set  fire  to  the  four  corners  of  the  kingdom."  The 
Duchesse  de  Berry  echoed  the  sentiments  of  that  tempestuous 
little  lady,  and,  almost  from  the  day  of  her  arrival  in  England, 
she  had  placed  herself  in  communication  with  the  most  enter- 
prising spirits  of  the  Legitimist  party,  with  a  view  to  the 
promotion  of  a  counter-revolution  which  should  hurl  the 
treacherous  usurper  from  his  throne  and  set  the  Crown  upon  her 
son's  head. 

And  in  this  counter-revolution  she  herself  intended  to  play 
an  active  part.  The  stories  of  Jeanne  d'Arc,  Mary  Stuart, 
Henri  IV.,  Maria  Theresa,  the  Young  Pretender,  and  other 
picturesque  figures  in  history  had  always  possessed  for  her  a 
singular  fascination,  while  she  had  greedily  devoured  the  novels 
of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  At  Holyrood  she  read  these  wonderful 
tales  again,  and  the  exploits  of  their  Jacobite  heroines,  studied 
in  so  romantic  an  environment,  inflamed  her  imagination  to  an 
extraordinary  degree  and  inspired  her  with  the  determination 
to  brave  all  dangers  in  her  struggle  against  Fortune.  "  For  her 
and  for  many  of  her  partisans,"  writes  Thureau  Dangin,  "  it  was 


292  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

less  a  question  of  executing  a  political  design  carefully  matured 
than  of  transporting  into  the  midst  of  the  bourgeois  France  of 
1830  a  chivalrous  adventure,  something  resembling  the  action 
of  one  of  Walter  Scott's  tales,  which  at  this  time  exercised  a 
supreme  influence  over  all  romantic  minds." '  A  little  later, 
when  Madame  made  her  appearance  in  la  Vendee,  one  of  her 
adherents  from  Nantes  said  to  the  members  of  the  Royalist 
Committee  in  Paris,  who  were  greatly  embarrassed  and  alarmed 
by  this  escapade :  "  Gentlemen,  cause  Walter  Scott  to  be 
hanged,  for  he  is  the  real  culprit."  2 

Charles  X.,  who  believed  that  where  an  old  man  of  his 
experience  had  failed,  a  young  woman  with  no  knowledge  of 
politics  or  the  difficulties  of  government  could  not  possibly 
succeed,  was  very  far  from  approving  of  the  bellicose  projects 
of  his  daughter-in-law,  and  endeavoured  to  persuade  her  to 
renounce  them,  pointing  out  that  her  chance  of  success  was 
extremely  remote,  and  that  she  would  be  incurring  the  gravest 
risks  to  very  little  purpose.  But  to  Madame  the  prospect  of 
danger  in  France  was  infinitely  preferable  to  that  of  ennui  at 
Holyrood,  and  the  more  he  sought  to  discourage  her,  the  more 
resolute  did  she  become. 

Finally,  the  old  King  ended  by  giving  a  kind  of  half- 
consent.  He  could,  indeed,  do  nothing  else,  for,  since  he  and 
the  Dauphin  had  renounced  their  rights  in  favour  of  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux,  it  was  to  the  mother  of  the  little  prince  that 
the  majority  of  Royalists  looked  for  direction  ;  and  to  refuse 
altogether  to  countenance  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  plans  would 
have  exposed  him  to  the  most  bitter  recriminations  from  the 
more  ardent  section  of  the  party,  already  irritated  by  what  it 
considered  his  pusillanimous  withdrawal  from  France,  when  he 
might  have  fallen  back  on  la  Vendee,  rallied  his  adherents 
around  him,  and  prolonged  the  struggle  indefinitely.  Even  in 
his  little  court  at  Holyrood,  the  party  which  favoured  energetic 
action — that  is  to  say  the  party  of  Madame — was  much  more 
numerous  than  his  own,  and,  if  his  pessimistic  views  were  shared 
by  the  Dauphin  and  Dauphine  and  his  now  favourite  counsellor, 
the  Due  de  Blacas,  the  princess  numbered  among  her  supporters 
the  Marshal  de  Bourmont — the  conqueror  of  Algiers — three 
other   ex-Ministers    in   the    Baron    d'Haussez,   the    Comte   de 

1  Histoire  de  la  Mon  archie  de  Juillet. 

2  Chateaubriand,  M&moires  d'outrc-tomle. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  293 

Montbel,  and  the  Baron  Capelle  ;  the  Due  Armand  de  Polignac, 
Damas,  Mesnard,  and  Brissac. 

And  so  he  made  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  on  January  27, 
1 83 1  conferred  conditionally  on  the  princess  the  title  of  Regent, 
in  the  event  of  her  re-entering  France,  and  signed  an  order  to 
the  following  effect : 

"  M.  .  .  .  chief  of  civil  authority  in  the  province  of .  .  .  will 
arrange  with  the  principal  leaders  to  draw  up  and  publish  a 
proclamation  in  favour  of  Henri  V.,  in  which  it  will  be  announced 
that  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  will  be  Regent  of  the  Kingdom 
during  the  minority  of  the  King,  her  son,  and  that  she  will 
assume  the  title  on  her  entry  into  France,  for  such  is  our  will." 

Charles  X.,  however,  distrusting  the  adventurous  character 
of  the  princess,  firmly  refused  to  allow  either  the  Due  de  Bor- 
deaux or  Madamoiselle  to  accompany  their  mother,  and  joined 
to  her  as  counsellor  the  Due  de  Blacas,  with  authority  to  oppose 
any  enterprise  which  might  seem  to  him  too  hazardous. 

In  the  early  spring,  Madame,  who  felt  that  England  would 
afford  her  much  greater  facilities  for  conspiracy  than  Scotland, 
left  Holyrood,  and,  after  spending  a  few  days  in  London, 
established  herself  at  Bath,  in  an  unpretentious  little  two-storied 
house,  with  Madame  de  Bouille,  a  waiting-woman,  and  two  men- 
servants.  "  Such,"  writes  a  correspondent  of  la  Mode,  "  is  the 
habitation  of  the  greatest  princess  in  Europe.  Her  meals  are 
more  frugal  than  those  of  the  humblest  Opposition  journalist. 
She  allows  herself  only  a  single  lamp,  and,  at  night,  her  staircase 
is  luxuriously  lighted  by  a  tallow  candle.  This  noble  princess, 
owner  of  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  pictures  in  France,1  can 
scarcely  place  on  the  walls  of  her  apartment  a  few  wretched 
engravings.  But  what  does  all  that  matter,  provided  that  the 
poor  of  France  are  still  in  doubt  as  to  her  departure,  provided 
that  her  hospital  at  Rosny  is  not  closed,  provided  that  her 
servants  are  not  reduced  to  the  sad  condition  of  those  of  Mary 
Stuart !  Madame  used  to  give  of  her  superfluities ;  now  she 
shares  her  necessaries.  The  love  of  letters,  the  protection  of  the 
arts,  the  sweet  pleasures  of  an  ingenious  benevolence,  were  the 
occupations  of  her  life  in  France.     Here,  she  appears  to  us  to 

1  At  the  end  of  the  previous  year,  however,  Madame  had  sold  between  thirty  and 
forty  of  the  most  valuable  pictures  in  her  collection,  and,  just  before  coming  to  Bath, 
she  had  also  sold  her  library  and  a  portion  of  her  jewels.  All  her  private  property 
had  been  scrupulously  respected  by  the  insurgents  when  they  invaded  the  Tuileries. 


294  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

be  devoting  herself  to  higher  thoughts,  to  profound  reflections. 
One  might  believe  that  she  is  preparing  herself  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  some  great  task." 1 

That  there  was  something  of  importance  in  the  wind  no  one 
who  kept  their  eyes  open  could  entertain  much  doubt.  Bath, 
during  Madame 's  stay,  became  a  kind  of  Legitimist  Mecca  ;  the 
comings  and  goings  were  incessant ;  and  the  princess  spent 
hours  every  day  in  conference  with  her  adherents.  All  hailed 
her  as  the  one  on  whom  the  hopes  of  the  party  were  centred  ; 
all  professed  the  most  unalterable  devotion  ;  all  urged  her  to 
action,  and  assured  her  that  the  July  Monarchy  was  already 
tottering  to  its  fall,  and  that  her  reappearance  on  the  scene 
would  be  the  signal  for  its  overthrow. 

And  from  every  part  of  France  came  letters,  addresses, 
poetical  effusions,  the  same  passionate  loyalty,  the  same  bound- 
less confidence.  Who  can  wonder  that,  in  this  atmosphere  of 
enthusiasm  and  of  flattery,  the  head  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
should  have  been  a  little  turned  ;  that  sentiment  should  have 
prevailed  over  reason  ;  and  that  she  should  have  been  convinced 
that  it  was  her  destiny  to  raise  the  royal  standard,  and  drive 
the  criminal  usurper  from  France,  as  Jeanne  d'Arc  had  driven 
the  English  ! 

Towards  the  end  of  May,  Madame  returned  to  Holyrood  to 
take  leave  of  her  relatives.  Thence  she  repaired  to  London, 
and  on  June  18,  accompanied  by  the  Due  de  Blacas,  the  Comtes 
de  Mesnard  and  de  Rosambo,  and  five  servants,  she  sailed  for 
Rotterdam,  en  route  for  Italy,  where  she  had  decided  to  organise 
the  expedition  from  which  she  anticipated  such  great  results. 

1  La  Mode,  May  16,  1831,  cited  by  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry 
et  la  Vendee. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  her  companions  arrive  at  Sestri — The  French  Am- 
bassador insists  on  their  expulsion  from  the  Sardinian  States — Madame  establishes 
herself  at  Massa,  where  she  is  treated  en  souveraine — Her  letter  to  her  friend  the 
Comtesse  de  Meffray — She  visits  Florence,  but  her  expulsion  from  Tuscany  is 
immediately  demanded,  and  she  removes  to  Lucca — She  sets  out  for  Naples,  on 
a  visit  to  her  half-brother,  Ferdinand  II.,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies — Her  stay  in 
Rome — The  Count  Ettore  Lucchesi-Palli — His  friendship  with  Madame — Arrival  of 
the  princess  at  Naples — A  sad  contrast — Second  visit  of  Madame  to  Rome — Her 
court  at  Massa — Illusions  of  the  princess  and  her  partisans  in  regard  to  the  situation 
of  affairs  in  France — Attitude  of  Madame  on  the  question  of  foreign  intervention  on 
behalf  of  her  son — Her  adherents  in  France  urge  her  to  action — She  sends  orders  to 
the  Legitimist  leaders  to  prepare  to  rise  in  arms — And  departs  secretly  for  Marseilles, 
on  board  a  Sardinian  steamer,  the  Carlo  Alberto, 

THE  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  her  companions  travelled 
leisurely  through  Holland,  Germany,  Switzerland, 
and  Northern  Italy,  and  in  the  second  week  in  July 
arrived  at  Sestri,  on  the  frontier  of  the  Sardinian  States  and 
Tuscany.  During  their  journey  they  had  preserved  the  strictest 
incognito,  and  flattered  themselves  that  their  presence  in  Italy 
was  quite  unknown  to  the  Government  of  Louis-Philippe.  But 
at  Genoa,  Rosambo,  while  walking  in  the  street,  had  been 
recognised  by  the  French  consul,  and  from  that  moment  they 
had  been  kept  under  close  surveillance. 

From  Sestri,  Madame  opened  communications  with  some  of 
the  Legitimist  leaders  who  had  established  themselves  for  that 
purpose  at  Nice,  and  everything  was  proceeding  smoothly, 
when,  one  fine  day,  the  Baron  de  Barante,  French  Ambassador 
at  Turin,  sought  an  audience  of  the  King  of  Sardinia,  informed 
him  that  his  dominions  were  the  centre  of  a  formidable  con- 
spiracy against  the  French  Government,  and  demanded,  as  a 
proof  of  his  Majesty's  friendly  disposition  towards  France,  the 
immediate  expulsion  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  her  partisans 
from  Sardinian  territory.  Charles  Albert,  although  his  sym- 
pathies were  entirely  with  the  exiled  princess,  did  not  care  to 
risk    a   quarrel   with    his    powerful    neighbour,    and   therefore 

295 


296  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

intimated  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  that,  much  to  his  regret, 
he  was  unable  to  grant  her  an  asylum. 

Accordingly,  on  July  27,  Madame  left  Sestri,  and  established 
herself  at  Massa.  In  this  town,  she  was  at  liberty  to  conspire 
to  her  heart's  content,  since  it  was  situated  in  the  duchy  of 
Modena,  whose  sovereign,  Francis  IV.,  had  declared  war  to  the 
knife  on  revolutionaries  of  every  nationality,  and  was  the  only 
prince  who  still  refused  to  recognise  Louis-Philippe.  He  gave 
the  princess  a  most  cordial  reception,  placed  at  her  disposal  the 
ducal  palace  of  Massa,  and  treated  her  en  souveraine.  A  military 
guard  was  stationed  before  her  door  ;  she  held  a  little  court, 
and  all  the  principal  persons  of  the  town  hastened  to  pay  their 
respects  to  her.  Madame,  on  her  side,  was  delighted  to  find 
herself  once  more  in  her  native  land,  and  treated  with  the  con- 
sideration which  was  her  due  ;  and  we  find  her  writing  to  the 
Comtesse  de  Meffray : 

"  You  will  be  astonished,  my  dear  Susette,  to  learn  that  I 
am  in  our  dear  Italy.  I  am  going  to  take  the  baths  of  Lucca 
for  my  rheumatism.  You  can  conceive  the  pleasure  I  have 
derived  from  seeing  again  the  beloved  country,  and  hearing  the 
dear  mother-tongue,  after  sixteen  years  of  vicissitudes.  Not- 
withstanding that  malicious  persons  seek  to  give  my  journey 
another  destination,  I  am  here  to  travel  through  beautiful  Italy, 
to  breathe  the  warm  air,  and  to  take  the  baths,  of  which  I  have 
great  need,  after  breathing  so  much  cold  and  humid  air.  We 
have  twenty-three  degrees  of  heat.  Adieu,  my  dear  friend,  send 
me  your  news,  and  believe  in  the  friendship  of 

"  Madame  Guiseppa  Sannaconi  l 

"  Poste-restante,  Bagni  di  Lucca." 

From  Madame' s  repudiation  of  the  reports  which  "  malicious 
persons "  were  circulating  as  to  the  object  of  her  journey  to 
Italy,  it  would  appear  that  she  was  apprehensive  lest  this  letter 
might  fall  into  other  hands  than  those  for  which  it  was  intended  ; 
but  she  might  have  spared  herself  this  precaution,  as,  thanks  to 
the  indiscretions  of  her  partisans  and  the  vigilance  of  its  own 
agents,  the  French  Government  never  entertained  the  smallest 
doubt  of  her  designs,  and  was  determined  to  do  everything 
possible  to  thwart  them.  Thus,  when,  after  a  course  of  the 
baths  of  Lucca,  the  princess  paid  a  visit  to  Florence,  she  had 

1  Letter  of  July  31,  1831,  in  Thirria,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry. 


A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE  297 

not  been  there  four  days  when  the  French  chargi-d' affaires,  the 
Comte  de  Ganay,  demanded  and  obtained  her  expulsion  from 
Tuscany.  The  Grand  Duke  Leopold,  like  Charles  Albert, 
feared  to  offend  the  government  of  Louis-Philippe. 

From  Florence,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  returned  to  Massa, 
but  at  the  beginning  of  September  removed  to  Lucca.  As  no 
French  diplomatic  agent  was  accredited  to  that  little  Court,  she 
was  not  molested,  and  the  Duke — whose  son  Ferdinand  was 
afterwards  to  marry  Mademoiselle — and  his  Ministers  showed 
her  every  attention. 

While  at  Lucca,  the  princess  wrote  to  her  half-brother, 
Ferdinand  II.,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  expressing  a  wish  to 
pay  a  brief  visit  to  Naples,  of  course,  incognito.  His  Majesty, 
though  in  reality  much  embarrassed  by  this  letter — he  subse- 
quently took  the  precaution  to  assure  the  French  Ambassador 
that  not  the  slightest  political  significance  need  be  attached  to 
his  sister's  visit — answered  that  he  would  be  delighted  to  receive 
her ;  and,  at  the  end  of  October,  she  set  out  for  Naples,  accom- 
panied by  Mesnard  and  Brissac.  On  her  way,  Madame  stopped 
for  a  fortnight  in  Rome,  much  to  the  alarm  of  the  Papal  officials, 
who  hastened  to  assure  the  Ambassador  of  Louis-Philippe  that 
every  possible  care  should  be  taken  to  prevent  the  presence  of 
the  princess  being  made  the  occasion  of  any  manifestations  dis- 
pleasing to  the  French  Government.  These  precautions,  how- 
ever, were  quite  unnecessary,  as  the  proscribed  lady  preserved 
the  strictest  incognito,  and  consented  to  receive  very  few 
visitors. 

One  of  those  in  whose  favour  she  made  an  exception  was  a 
young  Neapolitan  diplomatist,  the  Count  Ettore  Lucchesi-Palli. 
The  count,  who  was  at  this  time  in  his  twenty-sixth  year,  was 
a  member  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  families  of  Naples, 
which  traced  its  descent  from  one  of  the  Norman  barons  who 
had  conquered  the  Two  Sicilies  in  the  eleventh  century.  His 
father,  the  Prince  of  Campo-Franco,  had  been  First  Gentleman 
of  the  Chamber  to  Francis  I.,  and  was  now  Grand-Chancellor 
of  the  Two  Sicilies.  He  himself  had  been  educated  for  the 
priesthood,  with  the  intention,  no  doubt,  of  blossoming  into 
an  archbishop  or  a  cardinal  at  no  very  distant  date,  but  had 
eventually  decided  on  a  diplomatic  career,  and  had  been  attached 
to  the  Sicilian  Legations  in  Brazil  and  Spain. 

The  Count  Lucchesi  had  a  great  deal  to  recommend  him 


298  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

besides  his  ancient  lineage.  He  was  a  tall,  handsome,  dis- 
tinguished-looking young  man,  with  cultured  tastes  and  most 
agreeable  manners — "en  tout  point  un  chavmant  cavalier'' l  Nor 
did  he  lack  solid  qualities.  He  was  an  extremely  promising 
diplomatist,  and  the  following  year  received  the  appointment 
of  charge-d 'affaires  at  The  Hague,  and  a  brave,  chivalrous,  and 
honourable  gentleman. 

The  count  and  Madame  were  very  old  friends;  they  had 
been  children  together  in  Sicily,  and  appear  to  have  met  more 
than  once  subsequently  in  Paris.  He  came  to  wait  upon  her 
nearly  every  day,  and  was  always  admitted.  What  more 
natural  ?  Had  they  not  known  each  other  as  boy  and  girl,  and 
might  not  a  princess  who  was  travelling  incognito  be  permitted 
a  little  latitude  ?  "  He  appeared  very  attached  to  Madame" 
writes  Mesnard,  "and  the  recollection  of  their  relations  in  child- 
hood rendered  him  equally  dear  to  her."  How  dear,  poor  old 
Mesnard  was  to  discover  to  his  cost  a  little  later  on  ! 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  reached  Naples  on  November  i8, 
and  received  a  very  cordial  welcome  from  Ferdinand  II.  and 
the  Royal  Family.  She  was  lodged  in  the  Palazzo  Chiatamone, 
where  she  was  visited  by  the  Ministers  and  the  principal  persons 
of  the  Court ;  but,  since  she  had  come  incognito,  there  were,  of 
course,  no  official  presentations.  Great  as  was  her  delight  to 
be  once  more  in  Naples  and  in  the  midst  of  her  family,  the 
sight  of  her  native  city  can  scarcely  have  failed  to  inspire  sad 
reflections.  She  had  left  it,  nearly  sixteen  years  earlier,  a  happy 
young  girl,  with  the  most  splendid  of  prospects  before  her.  She 
returned  the  widow  of  a  murdered  prince,  the  mother  of  an 
exiled  one,  an  outcast  from  the  country  whose  queen  she  had 
expected  one  day  to  be,  her  footsteps  dogged,  her  every 
movement  watched,  by  the  minions  of  a  usurper,  obliged  even 
to  forgo  the  consideration  to  which  her  rank  entitled  her  in 
order  to  save  her  relatives  from  embarrassment  and  annoyance. 

On  December  4,  Madame  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  her 
relatives,  who  were  perhaps  not  quite  so  reluctant  to  see  her 
depart  as  would  have  been  the  case  in  ordinary  circumstances, 
and  set  out  on  her  return-journey  to  Massa,  where  she  was  to 
complete  the  preparations  for  her  expedition  to  France.  On 
her  way,  she  passed  some  days  in  Rome,  where  the  charming 
Count  Lucchesi-Palli  was  again  much  in  evidence,  and  paid  her 

1  Souvenirs  du  Comte  de  Mesnard. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  299 

Royal  Highness  the  most  assiduous  attentions.  But  neither 
Mesnard,  nor  Brissac,  nor  the  princess's  dame  pour  accompagner, 
Madame  de  Podenas,  who  had  joined  her  mistress  at  Naples, 
appears  to  have  had  the  slightest  suspicion  how  far  this  intimacy 
had  progressed.  On  December  14 — a  date  which,  as  we  shall 
see  hereafter,  was  a  very  important  one  in  the  princess's  life — 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  left  Rome  for  Massa,  where  her  partisans 
were  impatiently  awaiting  her  return. 

During  the  next  four  months,  Madame  held  at  Massa  a  little 
court,  "which  resembled  at  once  the  Coblentz  of  the  imigris 
and  the  Paris  of  the  Fronde."  1  Politicians  of  the  Restoration, 
young  men  burning  to  repair  the  discreditable  inaction  of  the 
Legitimists  during  the  days  of  July,  young  women  of  the 
fashionable  world,  conspired  there  gaily  and  foolishly.  There 
was  the  Due  de  Blacas  ;  the  Marechal  de  Bourmont  and  his 
two  sons,  Charles  and  Adolphe  ;  the  Comte  and  Vicomte  de 
Kergorlay  ;  the  Vicomte  de  Saint- Priest,  formerly  Ambassador 
of  Charles  X.  at  Madrid,  and  his  wife  ;  the  Comte  de  Roche- 
Fontenelles,  a  former  officer  of  the  Royal  Guard  ;  the  Marquis 
and  Marquise  de  Podenas  ;  the  Comte  and  Comtesse  de  Bouille  ; 
Mesnard,  Brissac,  and  Rosambo. 

Blacas,  who  was  at  Massa  less  as  a  partisan  of  Madame  than 
as  the  representative  of  Charles  X.,  disapproved  strongly  of  the 
princess's  projects,  and  warned  her  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
southern  provinces  were  much  too  fickle  in  their  political 
sympathies  for  any  reliance  to  be  placed  in  them,  and  that  the 
la  Vendue  of  1832  was  no  longer  the  la  Vendee  of  1793.  But 
the  more  enterprising  spirits  of  the  little  court  of  Massa  scouted 
the  very  idea  of  defeat,  and  represented  the  old  diplomatist  as 
a  pusillanimous  creature,  who,  if  he  were  allowed  to  have  his 
way,  would  paralyse  her  heroism  and  destroy  every  chance  of 
another  Restoration  ;  and  at  the  beginning  of  1832  she  sent  him 
to  Scotland,  on  the  pretext  of  obtaining  the  official  adhesion  of 
Charles  X.  to  her  project. 

Once  delivered  from  the  remonstrances  of  this  prudent 
counsellor,  Madame  began  active  preparations  for  her  expedition. 
Every  day  she  took  a  walk  of  several  miles,  in  order  to  accustom 
herself  to  the  fatigues  which  she  might  be  called  upon  to  endure, 
while  her  nights  were  passed  in  writing  or  deciphering  despatches. 
Her  confidence  passed  all  bounds  ;  in  imagination,  she  already 

1  Henri  Martin,  Histoire  de  France. 


300  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

saw  herself  ruling  at  the  Tuileries  in  the  name  of  Henri  V.,  and, 
in  anticipation  of  this  glorious  moment,  she  proceeded  to  draft 
a  number  of  Ordinances.  One  appointed  a  provisional  govern- 
ment, which  was  to  consist  of  Marechal  Victor,  Due  de  Bellune, 
the  Marquis  de  Pastoret,  Chateaubriand,  and  the  Comte  de 
Kergorlay ;  another  convoked  the  States-General  at  Toulouse  ; 
a  third  re-established  the  old  provinces,  with  extended  local 
liberties ;  a  fourth  abolished  part  of  the  indirect  taxes ;  and  so 
forth.  Nothing  was  forgotten,  not  even  the  minor  nominations 
to  the  Household  of  the  young  King.1 

It   must    be   admitted    that   the   illusions   entertained    by 
Madame  and  her  friends  at  Massa  were  not  without  excuse. 
Louis-Philippe   had   now  definitely  severed   himself  from  the 
Republican  party,  and  had  thus  succeeded  in  conciliating  the 
legitimist  States  of  Europe.     But   his  reactionary  policy  was 
most  unpopular  with  the  working-classes  in  France,  and  their 
discontent  had  found  expression  in  formidable  insurrections  at 
Lyons  and  Grenoble,  which  might  at  any  moment  be  repeated 
on  a  much  greater  scale  in  the  capital.     The  attitude  of  the 
Republicans   had    naturally  afforded  much  encouragement   to 
the   Legitimists,  and   the   reports   which   they   despatched   to 
Massa  held  out  the  most  brilliant  hopes.      They  represented 
that  not  only  the  South  and  West,  but  Paris  itself,  was  ready 
to  rise  on  behalf  of  the  young  King.     In  la  Vendue,  the  fire- 
eating  Baron  de  Charette — husband  of  the  younger  daughter 
of  the  Due  de  Berry  by  Amy  Brown — had  organised  a  general 
levy  of  the   peasants,  and    had   divided   all   the   country  into 
military  districts,  at  the  head  of  which  the  nobles  had  placed 
themselves.     At  Nantes,  at  Angers,  at  Rennes,  at  Lyons,  at 
Bordeaux,  at  Marseilles,  and  other  towns,  the  Legitimist  agents 
had  distributed  large  sums  of  money,  and  had  enrolled  a  great 
number  of  civil  servants  and  military  officers  of  the  Restoration, 
adventurers,  and  unemployed  working-men.     The  mass  of  the 
people,  according  to  them,  was  so  disgusted  with  the  Government 
that,  even  if  it  did  not  render  active  assistance  to  the  movement, 
it  would  not  stir  a  finger  to  oppose  it ;  while  the  Army  was  so 
full  of  disaffection  that  the  first  success  of  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  would  probably  be  the  signal  for  it  to  come  over  to  her 
en  masse.     In  a  word,  the  throne  of  the  usurper  was  ready  to 
crumble  at  the  slightest  shock. 

1  Thureau-Dangin,  Histoire  de  la  Mo7iarchie  de  Juillet. 


LOUIS  AUGUSTE  VICTOR   DE  IIOURMONT,  COMTE  DE  GHAISNE, 
MARECHAL  DE    FRANCE 

FROM    A   LITHOGRAPH    BY    DEI.I'ECH 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  301 

"  The  disaffection,"  ran  one  of  these  reports,  "  is  daily  making 
fresh  progress.  The  violent  repression  to  which  the  Govern- 
ment has  been  obliged  to  have  recourse,  in  order  to  resist  so 
many  attacks,  has  not  failed  to  excite  great  indignation.  At 
the  same  time,  amid  the  generality  of  the  population,  disen- 
chantment has  succeeded  to  enthusiasm.  None  of  the  Utopias 
which  the  Opposition  has  cherished  for  the  past  fifteen  years 
has  been  realised.  So  many  promises  culminating  in  so  many 
lies,  so  many  sacrifices  without  compensation,  have  produced 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  had  at  first  welcomed  the  new  r/gime, 
a  sort  of  political  atheism,  accompanied  by  a  profound  indiffer- 
ence. In  the  midst  of  this  general  apathy,  Madame,  having  on 
her  side  the  ardent  devotion  of  the  southern  provinces  and  the 
warlike  sympathies  of  la  Vendee,  will  be  able  to  attempt  every- 
thing, and  to  change  everything  in  France,  by  a  bold  coup  de 
main.  The  spirit  of  the  Army  is  uncertain  and  wavering.  A 
first  success  will  bring  about  defections,  and,  once  a  regiment 
has  passed  under  the  banners  of  her  Royal  Highness,  the 
question  will  be  settled." 1 

It  has  been  asserted  that  the  hopes  of  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  did  not  rest  entirely  on  the  success  of  her  intrigues  in 
France  ;  that  she  had  endeavoured  to  procure  the  armed  inter- 
vention of  the  Powers,  and  that  she  believed  her  appearance  in 
the  South  would  be  the  signal  for  a  foreign  invasion.  This  is 
quite  untrue.  As  her  letters  to  her  friend  the  Comtesse  de 
Meffray  prove,  the  idea  that  her  son  should  owe  his  crown  to 
foreign  armies  was  most  repugnant  to  her.  "  To  see  my  son 
re-established  on  the  throne  by  the  foreigner,"  she  writes,  "  is 
an  idea  which  I  cannot  endure,  and  I  do  not  know  whether  I 
should  not  prefer  that  he  never  returned." 

So  far  from  desiring  another  invasion,  she  considered  that  a 
counter-revolution  was  the  only  means  of  averting  it,  for,  very 
ill-informed  in  regard  to  the  relations  between  the  Government 
of  Louis-Philippe  and  the  Powers,  she  believed  that  it  was 
impossible  for  the  latter  to  tolerate  such  acts  as  the  occupation 
of  Ancona,  and  that  war  was  only  a  question  of  months,  or 
perhaps  weeks  :  "  There  is  nothing  but  my  presence  in  France, 
at  the  head  of  the  French,  regulating,  in  accord  with  them,  the 
rights  of  my  son,  which  can  preserve  our  country  from  this 
disaster." 

1  Published  by  Nettement,  Mbnoires  sur  Madame,  la  duchesse  de  Berri. 


302  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

At  the  same  time,  provided  that  a  considerable  proportion 
of  the  nation  rallied  to  her  standard,  she  considered  that  it 
would  then  be  perfectly  justifiable  to  accept  the  assistance  of 
the  Powers  to  terminate,  in  her  son's  favour,  the  civil  war  in 
which  she  was  about  to  engage  :  and  she  was  confident  that 
such  assistance  would  be  forthcoming.  "  It  is  one  thing,"  she 
continues,  "  to  see  the  Powers  come  to  my  aid  and  assist  in  an 
enterprise  which  has  been  opened  successfully ;  it  is  another  to 
summon  the  foreigner  purely  and  simply  to  re-establish  Legiti- 
macy. All  the  monarchies  are  solid  in  support  of  each  other, 
and,  if  the  white  banner  is  raised  by  me,  and  sustains  and  pro- 
longs the  struggle,  is  not  it  their  duty  to  avenge  Legitimacy 
against  a  criminal  usurper  ? " * 

As  spring  approached,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  partisans  in 
France  grew  more  confident  and  more  impatient.  Charette 
wrote  from  la  Vendee  that  "  every  day  that  she  delayed  was  a 
day  stolen  from  the  heritage  of  her  son  "  ;  while  the  Royalists  of 
Paris  declared  that,  if  she  did  not  hasten,  they  would  begin  the 
movement  without  her.  Madame  decided  that  the  time  for  action 
had  come,  and  on  April  20,  1832,  the  Mar£chal  de  Bourmont, 
to  whom  the  military  command  of  the  movement  had  been 
entrusted,  despatched,  in  her  name,  orders  to  the  Legitimist 
leaders  in  the  towns  of  the  West  to  be  ready  to  rise  in  arms 
the  moment  they  were  informed  of  her  arrival  on  French  soil, 
adding  that  such  news  might  be  expected  during  the  first  three 
days  in  May. 

Contrary  to  the  advice  of  Charette  and  the  Amazonian 
Comtesse  de  la  Rochejaquelein,  it  had  been  decided  to  subor- 
dinate the  movement  in  the  West  to  the  rising  of  the  South. 
Madame  had  resolved  to  land  near  Marseilles  ;  and  it  was 
that  city,  which  had  been  the  first  to  welcome  her  on  her  arrival 
in  France  sixteen  years  before,  which  was  to  be  given  the 
honour  of  striking  the  first  blow  in  the  cause  of  her  son. 

On  April  23,  the  Vicomte  de  Saint-Priest,  posing  as  a 
Spanish  nobleman,  chartered,  at  Leghorn,  a  little  Sardinian 
steamer,  the  Carlo  Alberto,  to  convey  him  and  his  suite  to  Bar- 
celona and  Gibraltar.  At  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  24th, 
the  Duchesse  secretly  quitted  the  palace  at  Massa,  and  accom- 
panied by  Brissac,  Mesnard,  her  femme  d'atours  Mile.  Lebeschu, 
and  Madame  de  Saint-Priest,  walked  to  a  lonely  spot  on  the 

1  E.  Thirria,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry. 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  303 

coast  some  four  miles  distant,  whence  a  fisherman's  boat  con- 
veyed the  princess  and  the  first  three  to  the  Carlo  Alberto. 
Madame  de  Saint-Priest,  charged  with  the  task  of  concealing 
the  princess's  departure,  returned  to  Massa,  and,  a  few  days 
later,  relates  the  incidents  of  that  eventful  night  in  a  letter  to 
her  father,  the  Due  de  Caraman  : 

"  If  you  had  seen  her  furtively  quitting  her  residence,  lean- 
ing on  Brissac's  arm,  gain  on  foot  the  beach,  four  miles  distant 
from  the  palace,  and  there  await  the  boat  with  a  calm  and  good 
conscience  ;  sleeping  for  three  hours  wrapped  in  her  sable  cloak, 
while  awaiting  the  boat  that  was  to  come  to  fetch  her ;  then,  in 
a  fisherman's  barque,  gain  the  ship,  where  she  was  received  with 
acclamations  by  all  the  French  who  were  expecting  her,  you 
would  have  felt  your  heart  beat  with  admiration,  and,  if  you 
had  wanted  for  courage,  she  would,  by  her  example,  have 
inspired  the  most  timid,  as  I  was.  I  kissed  her  hands  and 
bathed  them  with  my  tears,  and  she  said  to  me  :  '  I  shall  take 
great  care  of  your  husband  ;  we  have  God  on  our  side.  Look 
at  the  weather,  it  is  superb  ;  we  shall  be  there  in  forty-five 
hours.' "  l 

Madame  and  her  companions  found  awaiting  them  on  the 
deck  of  the  Carlo  Alberto  the  Vicomte  de  Saint-Priest ;  the 
Marechal  de  Bourmont  and  his  two  sons,  Adolphe  and  Charles  ; 
the  Comte  and  Vicomte  de  Kergorlay ;  Adolphe  Sala,  a  former 
officer  of  the  Royal  Guard,  and  two  other  adventurous  spirits, 
Edouard  Ledhuy  and  Alexis  Sabatier.  The  captain  of  the 
steamer,  a  Genoese  named  Giorgio  Zahra,  who  appears  to  have 
had  no  suspicion  of  the  identity  of  his  passengers,  was  consider- 
ably astonished  when,  as  soon  as  Signora  Rosa  Itagliano — as 
Madame  called  herself — had  come  on  board,  he  was  directed 
to  make,  not  for  Barcelona,  but  for  Marseilles.  However,  he 
obeyed,  and  the  Carlo  Alberto  stood  away  for  the  coast  of 
Provence. 

1  Published  by  Thirria,  la  Duckesse  de  Berry 


CHAPTER   XXV 

Arrival  of  the  Carlo  Alberto  off  Marseilles — A  perilous  landing — The  Duchesse  de 
Berry  and  her  companions  take  refuge  in  a  gamekeeper's  hut  amidst  the  woods,  to 
await  the  promised  rising  at  Marseilles — A  sleepless  night — A  comic-opera  insurrec- 
tion— "  All  has  failed  ;  you  must  leave  France  !  " — Madame  refuses  to  accept  defeat, 
and  insists  on  setting  out  for  la  Vendee — A  night's  journey  on  foot — A  chivalrous 
Republican — Madame  and  her  companions  reach  the  Chateau  of  Bonrecueil — The 
Government,  under  the  delusion  that  the  princess  is  still  on  board  the  Carlo  Alberto, 
despatches  a  cruiser  in  pursuit  of  that  vessel — Capture  of  the  Carlo  Alberto — Mile. 
~Lzhesc\\\i,  femme  d'atours  to  Madame,  is  mistaken  for  her  mistress — Arrival  of  the 
Carlo  Alberto  at  Toulon  :  absurd  situation — The  authorities  order  the  supposed 
Duchesse  de  Berry  to  be  conducted  to  Ajaccio,  where  the  mistake  is  discovered — 
Total  ignorance  of  the  Government  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  princess  :  letter  of 
the  Minister  of  the  Interior  to  the  Minister  of  the  Marine. 

THE  voyage,  much  to  the  vexation  of  the  adventurous 
princess  and  her  companions,  occupied  nearly  twice 
as  long  as  she  had  anticipated  ;  and  it  was  not  until 
the  night  of  April  28-29  that  they  sighted  the  Planier  light- 
house, near  which  they  had  decided  to  land.  They  had 
arranged  that  a  fishing-boat  should  be  in  readiness  at  this  spot 
to  take  them  on  shore  ;  but  the  night  was  pitch  dark,  and  a  gale 
had  sprung  up,  which  threatened  considerable  danger  to  any 
light  craft,  and  for  some  time  they  hesitated  to  signal  to  it. 
However,  it  was  imperative  to  land  before  dawn,  for  not  far  off 
they  perceived  the  lights  of  a  cruiser,  which  had  been  ordered 
to  watch  the  coast.  Accordingly,  after  waiting  until  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  in  the  hope  of  an  improvement  in  the  weather, 
they  displayed  two  lanterns  at  the  masthead,  as  a  signal  to 
their  friends  on  shore,  and  the  boat  immediately  put  off.  The 
sea  was  running  so  high  that  she  was  dashed  violently  against 
the  Carlo  Alberto's  side  and  very  nearly  swamped.  Never- 
theless, as  soon  as  she  had  been  baled  out,  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  sprang  boldly  into  her,  followed  by  the  Marshal  de 
Bourmont  and  his  son  Charles,  Brissac,  Mesnard,  and  the  Comte 
de  Kergorlay ;  and,  after  a  very  unpleasant  quarter  of  an  hour, 
they  found  themselves  safe  upon  French  soil. 

One  of  the  leaders  of  the  Marseilles  Legitimists  was  await- 

304 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  305 

ing  them,  and  conducted  them  along  a  narrow  path,  known 
to  few  save  smugglers,  to  a  gamekeeper's  hut,  hidden  amidst 
the  woods,  where  they  were  to  await  the  result  of  the  rising 
which  was  preparing  in  the  city.  The  distance  was  not  great, 
but  the  darkness  was  intense,  and  the  road  so  rough  that  day 
was  already  beginning  to  break  when,  wet,  bruised,  and  exhausted, 
the  princess  and  her  companions  reached  their  destination. 

Among  all  the  singular  instances  of  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune 
which  history  affords,  few  are  more  striking  than  the  contrast 
presented  by  the  arrival  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Marseilles 
in  May  1832,  amid  the  ringing  of  church-bells,  the  firing  of 
cannon,  the  waving  of  flags,  and  the  acclamations  of  an 
immense  multitude,  and  her  arrival  on  that  dark  and  stormy 
April  night,  sixteen  years  later.  But  the  valiant  princess  hoped 
and  believed  that,  ere  many  hours  had  passed,  she  would  make 
another  triumphal  entry  into  the  Phocean  city.  All  that  day 
she  remained  in  the  hut,  but  with  the  evening  there  came  a 
messenger  with  a  note,  which  informed  her  that  the  rising  of 
the  Legitimists  of  Marseilles  had  been  fixed  for  daybreak  on 
the  morrow. 

Madame  did  not  close  her  eyes  the  livelong  night.  "It 
seemed  to  her,"  writes  Nettement,  "that  time  was  no  longer 
passing,  and  the  hands  of  her  watch,  which  she  consulted  every 
minute,  appeared  motionless  on  the  dial."1  At  length,  the 
dawn  came  creeping  through  the  trees — the  dawn  which  was  to 
witness  the  movement  which,  she  confidently  believed,  would  set 
the  South  on  fire  from  the  Alps  to  the  Atlantic.  Slowly  the 
hours  went  by,  but  no  news  came  from  Marseilles.  Could  it  be, 
the  poor  lady  asked  herself,  that  something  had  occurred  which 
had  rendered  it  necessary  to  postpone  the  rising  ?  Could  it  be 
that,  after  all  the  confident  predictions  of  success  that  she  had 
received,  it  had  failed  ?  Why,  in  any  case,  did  they  not 
communicate  with  her,  and  spare  her  this  horrible  suspense  ? 
At  length,  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  long-expected 
messenger  arrived,  with  a  note  from  the  Due  des  Cars. 
Trembling  with  eagerness,  she  tore  it  open.  It  contained  only 
a  few  words  ;  but  they  seemed  to  leap  up  and  strike  her  in 
the  face — 

"  All  has  failed  ;  you  must  leave  France!" 

1  Memoires  stir  Madame,  la  duchesse  de  Bern'. 


3o6  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

But  let  us  see  what  had  happened  that  morning  at 
Marseilles. 

For  some  time  past,  the  French  Government  had  observed 
at  Marseilles  and  other  towns  in  the  South  symptoms  which 
foreshadowed  a  Legitimist  rising ;  and  it  was  also  aware  that 
persons  known  to  be  attached  to  this  party  had  been  constantly 
passing  to  and  fro  between  Paris,  these  towns,  and  Italy. 
Finally,  its  agents  at  Leghorn  had  reported  that  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  was  in  treaty  for  the  purchase  of  the  Carlo  Alberto, 
though  it  was  not  until  the  previous  night  that  news  reached 
the  authorities  of  Marseilles  that  the  vessel  in  question,  with 
the  Marshal  de  Bourmont  and  other  Legitimists  on  board,  had 
quitted  Leghorn.  These  circumstances  pointed  very  plainly  to 
a  descent  by  the  Massa  exiles,  with,  in  all  probability,  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  herself  at  their  head,  upon  the  Mediter- 
ranean coast,  followed  by  a  rising  in  one  or  other  of  the  chief 
towns  in  the  South,  the  authorities  of  which  were,  in  con- 
sequence, fully  prepared  for  such  an  emergency. 

Thus,  in  any  case,  the  partisans  of  Madame  would  have 
found  the  task  before  them  one  of  exceptional  difficulty,  for 
secrecy  is  nearly  always  an  important  factor  in  a  successful 
insurrection  ;  but  the  utter  lack  of  organisation  and  cohesion 
amongst  them,  to  say  nothing  of  personal  courage,  rendered  it 
altogether  hopeless. 

Towards  dawn,  a  number  of  Legitimists  began  assembling 
on  the  Esplanade  de  la  Tourette,  for,  through  some  extra- 
ordinary misunderstanding,  a  rumour  had  been  circulated 
that  the  Mardchal  de  Bourmont  was  to  land  there  and  assume 
command.  A  few  of  the  bolder  spirits  carried  muskets, 
but  the  greater  part  had  preferred  to  arm  themselves  only 
with  knives  and  pistols — weapons  which  could  easily  be  con- 
cealed. 

After  waiting  a  considerable  time,  without  seeing  any  sign 
of  the  marshal's  approach,  part  of  the  crowd  dispersed,  under 
the  impression  that  no  rising  would  take  place  that  day.  Of 
the  rest,  one  section  proceeded  along  the  quays,  hauled  down 
the  tricolour  from  two  or  three  public  buildings,  and  tore  it 
to  shreds ;  while  the  other  marched  to  the  Church  of  Saint- 
Laurent,  in  the  Old  Town,  with  the  intention  of  sounding  the 
tocsin.     The  verger,  however,  refused  to  produce  the  key  of  the 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  307 

belfry,  so  the  conspirators  had  to  content  themselves  with 
hoisting  a  white  flag. 

About  eight  o'clock,  another  band,  which  had  apparently 
been  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  gentlemen  who  were  dis- 
porting themselves  on  the  quays  and  in  the  Old  Town,  marched 
through  the  streets  of  the  Ouartier  Saint-Jean,  to  occupy  the 
Palais  de  Justice.  The  insurgents  carried  a  white  flag  and 
raised  shouts  of  "  Vive  Henri  V.  /  Vive  la  I'eligion  !  Vive  la 
croix!"  Their  ranks  were  soon  swelled  by  a  crowd  of  idlers 
and  women,  but  the  majority  of  the  population  manifested  no 
enthusiasm  and  made  no  attempt  to  join  them.  The  fact  was 
that  the  leaders  of  the  conspiracy  had  been  so  fearful  of  a 
premature  revelation  of  their  plans  that  they  had  only  admitted 
a  comparatively  small  number  of  persons  into  the  secret ;  and 
even  the  most  violent  antagonists  of  a  government  can  scarcely 
be  expected  to  take  up  arms  against  it  at  a  few  minutes' 
notice. 

On  reaching  the  Palais  de  Justice,  they  found  a  half-company 
of  the  13th  Regiment  of  the  Line  on  guard  there.  The  officer 
in  command,  a  sub-lieutenant  named  Chazal,  called  upon  the 
crowd  to  disperse,  and,  finding  his  summons  unheeded,  pounced 
upon  a  gentleman  who,  from  the  violence  of  his  gesticulations, 
appeared  to  be  the  leader,  seized  him  by  the  collar,  and  dragged 
him  off  to  the  guard-house,  while  his  men  arrested  two  or  three 
others.  Disconcerted  by  the  fate  of  their  leaders,  the  rest  of  the 
valiant  band  suddenly  recollected  important  engagements 
elsewhere  and  dispersed. 

While  this  little  comedy  was  being  played  in  front  of  the 
Palais  de  Justice,  the  commandant  of  Marseilles,  with  a  few 
soldiers,  marched  into  the  Old  Town,  and  restored  the  tricolour 
to  its  accustomed  place  on  the  Church  of  Saint-Laurent,  the 
partisans  of  the  opposition  flag  watching  the  operation  from  a 
safe  distance,  without  attempting  any  interference.  By  nine 
o'clock,  the  troops  of  the  garrison  and  the  National  Guards  were 
all  under  arms  and  clamouring  to  be  led  against  the  insurgents. 
But  there  were  no  insurgents  against  whom  to  lead  them. 
They  had  all  gone  home  to  breakfast ! 

And  so  ended  the  comic-opera  insurrection  of  Marseilles. 

"  All  has  failed ;  you  must  leave  France  ! "  ran  the  note 
which  had  informed  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  of  the  ignominious 


308  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

collapse  of  the  movement  from  which  she  had  expected  so 
much.  It  was  sage  advice,  for,  since  the  Legitimists  of  Mar- 
seilles had  been  unable  to  effect  anything  beyond  covering 
themselves  with  ridicule,  those  of  the  other  towns  of  the  South 
were  very  unlikely  to  bestir  themselves.  Madame,  however, 
repudiated  it  with  indignation.  What !  Leave  France  within 
forty-eight  hours  of  her  return  !  Accept  defeat  because  the 
first  move  in  the  game  she  was  playing  had  gone  against 
her !  Never  had  she  heard  a  more  disgraceful  proposition ! 
Besides,  how  were  they  to  leave  France  ?  The  Carlo  Alberto 
had  sailed  for  Rosas,  in  Catalonia,  to  avoid  the  too  pressing 
attentions  of  the  French  cruiser,  and,  now  that  the  alarm  had 
been  given,  the  coast  would  be  most  vigilantly  guarded,  and,  in 
all  probability,  the  roads  to  the  Italian  frontier  as  well.  There 
was,  she  declared,  but  one  course  to  pursue,  and  honour  and 
expediency  both  pointed  to  it :  they  must  take  refuge  in  the 
country  of  Charette  and  of  Cathelineau,  and  start  that  very 
night.  La  Vendee  remained  to  her  ;  la  Vendee  was  waiting  to 
rise  in  arms  the  moment  it  received  her  orders  ;  to  la  Vendee 
she  must  go ! 

Her  companions  endeavoured  to  persuade  her  to  remain 
where  she  was,  representing  that  they  had  neither  horse,  nor 
mule,  nor  carriage.  She  replied  that  she  was  an  excellent 
walker,  and,  rather  than  fail  in  her  engagements,  would  make 
the  entire  journey  on  foot.  "  If  I  abandon  la  Vendue  to-day," 
she  added,  "  it  will  be  able  to  address  to  me  the  reproaches  which 
it  has  had  the  right  to  address  to  more  than  one  member  of  the 
family.  I  have  promised  it  that  it  can  count  on  me,  and  it  is 
counting.  Forward !  "  And,  as  soon  as  darkness  had  fallen, 
she  took  leave  of  her  humble  host  and  set  out  on  her  journey 
across  France. 

The  princess  was  accompanied  by  Bourmont,  Mesnard, 
Brissac,  and  two  Provencal  Legitimists,  the  Vicomte  de  Ville- 
neuve-Bargemont  and  Auguste  de  Bonrecueil,  son  of  the  Baron 
de  Bonrecueil.  The  baron's  chateau  was  situated  near  Lambesc, 
in  the  department  of  the  Bouches-du-Rhone,  and,  if  Madame 
could  reach  it  without  being  recognised,  the  most  perilous  part 
of  her  journey  would  be  over,  as  Bonrecueil  was  an  important 
local  personage,  who  would  no  doubt  be  able  to  procure  her  a 
passport  under  an  assumed  name.  The  way  was  rough  and 
dangerous,  and  the  night  so  dark  that  they  could  scarcely  see 


A    PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  309 

a  yard  in  front  of  them.  But  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  get  as  far  as  possible  from  Marseilles  before  dawn,  and 
accordingly  they  trudged  on  for  five  hours.  Then  the  guide 
whom  the  gamekeeper  had  procured  for  them  declared  that  he 
had  lost  his  way,  and,  as  the  princess  was  by  this  time  so  tired 
that  she  could  scarcely  put  one  foot  before  the  other,  they 
decided  to  remain  where  they  were  until  the  morning.  Her 
companions  took  off  their  cloaks  and  spread  them  on  the 
ground  ;  and  Madame  lay  down,  with  a  valise  for  her  pillow, 
and  was  soon  asleep. 

She  awoke  in  a  little  while  and  complained  that  she  was 
perishing  of  cold.  Her  friends,  greatly  alarmed,  began  search- 
ing for  some  place  where  she  could  take  shelter,  and  eventually 
discovered  a  deserted  hut,  used  by  the  shepherds  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood in  bad  weather.  Here  they  lighted  a  fire  of  turf  and 
furze,  and  Madame  was  able  to  pass  the  remainder  of  the  night 
in  comparative  comfort. 

In  the  morning,  they  succeeded  in  procuring  a  little  cart,  in 
which  the  princess  continued  her  journey ;  but,  when  night  fell, 
they  were  still  many  miles  from  the  Chateau  of  Bonrecueil, 
After  the  hardships  she  had  endured  since  her  arrival  in  France, 
Madame's  companions  felt  that  it  was  impossible  to  expose  her 
to  another  night  in  the  open,  and  learning  from  their  guide  that 
there  was  a  fervent  Royalist  living  in  an  adjacent  village,  they 
determined  to  take  shelter  with  him.  When,  however,  they 
reached  the  house,  they  found  that  he  was  away  from  home. 

The  travellers  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  when  the  guide 
informed  them  that  the  absent  Royalist  had  a  brother  living 
close  at  hand,  who  was,  however,  a  confirmed  Republican. 
Madame  inquired  if  he  were  an  honourable  man,  and,  on  being 
told  that  he  had  that  reputation,  at  once  announced  her  inten- 
tion of  going  to  him,  disclosing  her  identity,  and  appealing  to 
his  chivalry.  Her  companions  endeavoured  to  reason  with  her, 
but  to  no  purpose,  and,  with  many  misgivings,  they  followed 
her  to  the  house.  "  Monsieur,"  exclaimed  the  princess,  as  soon 
as  the  owner  appeared,  "you  are  a  Republican,  I  know;  but 
no  political  opinions  can  be  applied  to  a  proscribed  woman.  I 
am  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  and  I  am  come  to  ask  you  for  an 
asylum."  Her  host,  after  recovering  from  his  first  astonish- 
ment, bowed  respectfully,  and  informed  her  that  his  house  was 
at   her  disposal,  and  that   she  might  count  upon   him  as  she 


/ 


310  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

would  have  counted  upon  his  brother.  He,  in  fact,  entertained 
them  most  hospitably,  and  obtained  a  carriage  for  Madame,  in 
which,  at  five  o'clock  on  the  following  afternoon,  she  arrived 
safely  at  the  Chateau  of  Bonrecueil.1 

Notwithstanding  the  assistance  rendered  her  by  this  chival- 
rous Republican — whose  name,  by  the  way,  was  never  permitted 
to  transpire — the  Duchesse  de  Berry  might  not  have  found  it 
so  easy  to  escape  recognition  during  the  first  stage  of  her 
journey,  if  the  Government  had  entertained  the  least  suspicion 
as  to  her  whereabouts.  But  so  far  from  imagining  that  she 
was  making  for  la  Vendee,  the  Ministers  and  the  authorities  of 
Marseilles,  as  their  correspondence  proves,  did  not  even  know 
that  she  was  in  France.  They  believed,  on  the  contrary,  that 
she  was  still  on  the  Carlo  Alberto,  and,  by  the  direction  of  the 
Minister  of  Marine,  a  cruiser,  the  Sphinx,  was  despatched  in 
pursuit  of  that  interesting  vessel. 

The  Carlo  Alberto,  after  touching  at  Rosas,  was  on  her  way 
back  to  Marseilles,  doubtless  with  the  intention  of  landing  the 
rest  of  her  passengers  whenever  a  favourable  opportunity  should 
present  itself.  On  the  evening  of  May  4,  she  had  just  anchored 
under  the  Ile-Verte,  in  the  bay  of  la  Ciotat,  to  obtain  coal  and 
provisions,  when  the  cruiser,  which  had  been  vainly  searching 
for  her  for  the  last  three  days,  made  her  appearance  upon  the 
scene,  lowered  a  boat,  and  sent  two  officers  on  board. 

The  officers  found  Saint-Priest,  the  Vicomte  de  Kergor- 
lay,  Adolphe  de  Bourmont,  Sala,  and  Mile.  Lebeschu,  femme 
d'aiitours  to  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  at  dinner  on  the  bridge,  all 
of  whom,  of  course,  gave  the  names  which  they  had  assumed 
for  the  occasion.  They  questioned  the  captain  and  the  super- 
cargo, and  the  answers  returned  were  so  unsatisfactory  as  to 
leave  no  doubt  that  this  was  the  vessel  of  which  they  were  in 
quest.  Accordingly,  the  cruiser  took  her  in  tow  and  proceeded 
to  Toulon. 

And  now  began  a  most  diverting  little  comedy. 

Mile.  Lebeschu,  in  both  features  and  build,  was  not  unlike 
her  mistress,  and  the  commander  of  the  Sphinx,  who  had  never 
seen  Madame,  was  persuaded  that  the  lady  he  had  captured 
was  none  other  than  the  Duchesse   de   Berry.     He  wrote   to 

1  Souvenirs  du  Comte  de  Mesnard.  General  Dermancourt  (/a  Vendee  et  Madame) 
says  that  Madame  went  alone  to  the  house,  but  Mesnard's  account  is  to  be 
preferred. 


Tv 


MLLE.   MATHILDE  LEBESCHU 

FROM    A   LITHOGRAPH    BY   BAZIN,    AFTER   THE   PAINTING    BV    E.   FECHNER 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  311 

that  effect  to  the  maritime  prefect  of  Toulon,  who,  in  his  turn, 
sent  the  following  telegraphic  despatch  to  the  Minister  of 
Marine : — 

"  The  woman  who  is  on  board  occupies  the  principal  cabin. 
She  is  the  object  of  the  greatest  deference.  The  vessel  is  most 
luxuriously  furnished  ;  its  interior  is  covered  with  the  Arms  of 
the  Due  de  Bordeaux.  The  lady's  cabin  is  decorated  with 
green  and  white  curtains.  The  description  which  has  been 
given  me  of  her  person  inclines  me  to  think  that  she  may  be 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry." 

It  is  a  little  doubtful  if  Mile.  Lebeschu  had  received  instruc- 
tions from  her  mistress  to  impersonate  her  ;  but,  from  the  fact 
that  she  occupied  the  best  cabin  on  the  steamer,  and  was  "  the 
object  of  the  greatest  deference,"  it  would  appear  that  she  had. 
Any  way,  she  was  quick  to  appreciate  the  assistance  she  would 
be  rendering  Madame  by  confirming  her  captors  in  their 
illusion,  and  played  her  part  so  admirably  that  they  were  soon 
quite  convinced  that  she  was  the  princess. 

A  rumour  that  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  on  board  the 
captured  vessel  soon  spread  through  Toulon  and  created  intense 
excitement.  The  authorities  were  accused  of  endeavouring  to 
keep  the  presence  of  the  princess  a  secret,  in  order  to  allow  her 
to  escape;  and  a  number  of  the  National  Guards  announced 
their  intention  of  boarding  the  Carlo  Alberto  and  making  her 
their  prisoner.  In  great  alarm,  the  maritime  prefect  ordered 
the  Sphinx  to  proceed  with  her  prize  to  Ajaccio,  where  the 
investigations  could  be  conducted  in  a  calmer  atmosphere. 
There  the  mystery  was  at  length  solved,  by  the  arrival  of  an 
officer  who  had  been  well  acquainted  with  Madame,  and  who 
at  once  declared  that  the  mysterious  lady  was  not  the  princess. 

This  intelligence  greatly  embarrassed  the  Government, 
which  had  just  despatched  a  frigate  to  Ajaccio  to  convey  the 
supposed  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  her  anxious  relatives  in 
Scotland  ;  and  was,  in  consequence,  being  unmercifully  ridiculed 
by  all  the  Opposition  journals.  If  the  lady  at  Ajaccio  was  not 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  what,  in  wonder's  name,  had  become  of 
the  princess  ? 

"  General  Damremont,"  writes  d'Argout,  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  to  his  "  dear  colleague  "  of  the  Marine,  under  date 
May  10,  "announces  as  certain  that  it  is  not  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  who  was  on  board  the  Genoese  steamer.     It  is  urgent  and 


3i2  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

indispensable  to  ascertain  what  has  become  of  her.  Can  she 
have  remained  at  Massa  ?  Can  she  have  gone  to  Leghorn  ? 
Can  she  have  secretly  disembarked  in  the  environs  of  la  Ciotat  ? 
Can  she  be  concealed  on  some  other  part  of  the  [Spanish] 
frontier  coast  ?  Finally,  can  she  have  decided  to  gain  Rosas  or 
Barcelona,  in  order  to  get  to  the  Atlantic  and  expose  the 
shores  of  our  western  departments  to  the  same  disturbances  and 
enterprises  with  which  the  South  has  just  been  menaced  ? " 

And  he  expresses  his  opinion  that  not  only  the  coasts  of 
Provence,  Herault,  and  Catalonia,  but  the  North  of  Spain  and 
the  Atlantic  coast  of  France  as  far  as  la  Vendee,  should  be 
patrolled  by  cruisers. 

"It  is  possible,"  he  continues,  " that  the  appearance  of  the 
steamer  before  Marseilles  and  Toulon  was  merely  a  demon- 
stration— a  sort  of  ruse  of  war,  and  the  real  object  of  the 
authors  of  the  conspiracy  was  to  throw  themselves  on  Brittany 
or  la  Vendee."  1 

On  the  same  day,  Louis-Philippe,  also  much  perturbed  at 
the  disappearance  of  the  princess,  wrote  to  the  same  Minister : 
"  I  believe  it  to  be  essential  that  you  should  establish  cruisers 
and  have  the  coast  watched  from  Marseilles  to  Rosas,  for  I  pre- 
sume that  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  is  in  Catalonia." 

1  Archives  de  la  Marine,  published  by  Charles  Nauroy,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry. 


CHAPTER   XXVI} 

Journey  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  to  la  Vendee  —  A  titled  coachman — The 
princess  arrives  at  the  Chateau  of  Plassac,  near  Saintes — Incidents  of  the  journey — 
Review  of  the  situation  in  la  Vendee  since  the  July  Revolution — Decision  of  the  la 
Fetelliere  conference  of  September  1831 — Madame 's  proclamation — She  issues 
orders  to  her  adherents  to  take  up  arms  on  May  24 — She  leaves  Plassac  for  the 
Chateau  of  Preuille,  near  Montaigu,  where  she  assumes  masculine  attire — Narrow 
escape  of  the  princess  from  drowning  in  crossing  the  Moine — Arrival  at  Bellecour 
with  Charette  and  Mesnard — Letter  addressed  to  her  by  certain  Vendeen  chiefs 
entreating  her  to  countermand  her  orders  for  May  24 — Refusal  of  the  princess — She 
is  compelled  to  fly  from  Bellecour — A  night  in  a  stable— The  Chateau  of  Louvar- 
diere — Le  Magasin — Madame  receives  further  protests  against  the  rising  from  the 
Vendeen  leaders,  but  they  fail  to  shake  her  resolution — Arrival  of  the  advocate 
Berryer,  who  has  induced  the  Marechal  de  Bourmont  to  issue  a  counter-order — And 
endeavours  to  persuade  the  princess  to  abandon  the  enterprise  and  leave  France 
— Madajne  consents,  but  soon  recalls  her  decision — Council  of  war  at  le  Meslier — 
Issue  of  a  new  order  fixing  the  rising  for  the  night  of  June  3-4. 

WHILE  the  Government  were  seeking  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  along  the  Mediterranean  coast,  the 
object  of  its  quest  was  making  her  way  to  la 
Vendee.  On  May  3,  she  left  the  Chateau  of  Bonrecueil,  in  a 
calash,  accompanied  by  Villeneuve-Bargemont,  Mesnard,  and 
the  Comte  de  Lorge,  iwhom  she  had  found  there.  Madame 
passed  as  the  wife  of  Villeneuve-Bargemont,  who  was  not 
unlike  her,  and  for  whom  a  passport  had  been  procured  ; 
Mesnard  wore  a  peruke,  which  rendered  him  quite  unrecognis- 
able ;  while  Lorge  was  disguised  as  the  coachman,  in  which 
character  he  showed  a  coolness  and  an  address  which  extricated 
the  party  from  more  than  one  embarrassment.  They  travelled 
day  and  night,  only  stopping  for  meals  or  to  change  horses  ; 
passed  through  Tarascon,  Nimes,  Montpellier,  Narbonne,  Car- 
cassonne, Toulouse,  Moissac,  Agen,  Bergerac,  Sainte-Foy, 
Libourne,  and  Blaye,  and  arrived  on  the  night  of  May  4  at 
the  Chateau  of  Plassac,  near  Saintes,  the  seat  of  the  Marquis 
Aymar  de  Dampierre,  one  of  her  most  zealous  partisans. 

The  journey  had  not  been  free  from  alarms.     Soon  after 

313 


314  A   PRINCESS  OF  ADVENTURE 

leaving  the  Chateau  of  Bonrecueil,  the  travellers  had  aroused 
the  suspicions  of  a  gendarme,  who  had  followed  them  for 
several  hours  and  then  suddenly  disappeared  ;  and  at  an  inn 
at  Toulouse,  where  they  had  stopped  to  dine,  a  man  had, 
greatly  to  Madame 's  consternation,  recognised  her.  He  proved, 
however,  to  be  a  fervent  Royalist,  and,  on  learning  of  her  desti- 
nation, told  her  that  la  Vendee  was  already  full  of  troops,  and 
begged  of  her  to  go  no  farther,  offering  her  the  shelter  of  his 
own  house.  But  the  princess  replied  that  the  troops  would 
never  fire  upon  her,  and  that,  besides,  she  had  burned  her  boats 
and  would  have  difficulty  in  leaving  France,  even  if  she  wished 
to  do  so. 

It  may  be  as  well  to  say  a  few  words  here  about  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  in  la  Vendee  since  the  July  Revolution  ;  and  by 
la  Vendee  must  be  understood  not  only  the  department  of  that 
name,  but  the  adjoining  departments  of  Loire-Inferieure  and 
Maine-et-Loire,  on  the  North,  and  of  Deux-Sevres,  on  the  East. 

The  la  Vendee  of  that  period,  as  Blacas  had  warned  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  was  certainly  not  the  la  Vendee  which  had 
struggled  so  heroically  against  the  armies  of  the  Convention. 
Between  the  nobles  and  the  peasants  a  new  class  had  sprung  up 
in  the  owners  of  national  property,  and  there  were  few  landed 
proprietors  who  had  not  left  some  shreds  of  their  inheritance  in 
the  hands  of  the  Revolution.  Numbers  of  Vendeens,  too,  had 
served  as  conscripts  in  the  wars  of  the  Empire,  and  if  they  had 
gone  reluctantly,  they  had  fought  bravely  enough,  and  no 
longer  regarded  the  tricolour  with  the  hatred  with  which  it  had 
inspired  their  fathers ;  while  the  spread  of  education,  and  the 
improved  means  of  communication  between  the  West  and  Paris, 
had  contributed  to  the  weakening  of  the  old  prejudices  and  to 
the  development  of  the  new  ideas.  Nevertheless,  the  great 
mass  of  the  rural  population  was  still  profoundly  Legitimist  and 
Catholic,  and  if  Charles  X.,  in  1830,  had  followed  the  advice  of 
some  of  his  adherents  and  appealed  to  the  loyalty  of  the  Ven- 
deens, they  would  have  undoubtedly  rallied  in  thousands  to  his 
standard. 

Discouraged  by  the  old  King's  decision  to  bow  before  the 
storm,  the  Vendeens  had  been  quiet  enough  during  the  first 
weeks  of  the  July  Monarchy,  and  the  majority  of  the  people 
would  probably  have  accepted  the  new  regime,  if  the  Govern- 
ment  of  Louis-Philippe   had   shown   the   least  disposition  to 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  315 

conciliate  them.  But,  so  far  from  sparing  their  susceptibilities,  it 
had  the  imprudence  to  embark  upon  a  policy  of  petty  persecu- 
tion. The  monuments  erected  to  Cathelineau  and  Charette 
were  destroyed  ;  the  arms  of  honour  given  by  Louis  XVIII.  to 
the  survivors  of  '93  were  seized  ;  and  a  number  of  persons  were 
arrested  on  suspicion  of  conspiring  against  the  new  monarchy. 

Such  treatment  naturally  provoked  the  most  intense  resent- 
ment among  this  proud  and  high-spirited  people.  Great  diffi- 
culty was  experienced  in  collecting  the  taxes ;  the  young  men 
refused  to  submit  to  the  conscription,  organised  themselves  into 
armed  bands,  and  took  to  the  woods,  where  they  carried  on  a 
species  of  guerilla  warfare  with  the  troops  sent  in  pursuit  of 
them  ;  and  the  cures,  whose  indignation  was  intensified  by  the 
anti-religious  tendencies  of  the  Government,  began  to  omit  the 
prayers  for  Louis-Philippe  from  the  Mass,  and  even  to  exhort 
their  flocks  to  pray  for  Henri  V. 

Thus,  months  before  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  returned  to 
France,  a  considerable  part  of  la  Vendee  was  already  ripe  for 
insurrection.  Nevertheless,  the  majority  of  its  leaders,  less 
enthusiastic  or  more  prudent  than  those  of  former  times,  were 
not  prepared  to  recommend  a  general  rising,  unless  they  saw  in 
it  a  reasonable  prospect  of  success  ;  and  at  a  meeting  held  by 
them  at  la  Fetelliere,  near  Remouille,  in  the  autumn  of  183 1,  it 
had  been  decided,  by  a  majority  of  votes,  that  this  should  not 
take  place,  except  in  the  event  of  a  successful  movement  in  the 
South,  the  proclamation  of  a  republic  in  Paris,  or  a  foreign 
invasion.  In  May  1832,  neither  of  these  conditions  had  been 
fulfilled,  and  the  first,  as  we  have  seen,  was  already  out  of  the 
question.  But  Madame,  with  the  incurable  optimism  of  her  cha- 
racter, had  refused  to  abandon  all  hope  of  the  South ;  while 
advices  from  Paris  warned  her  that  a  Republican  insurrection 
was  imminent.  And,  even  in  the  absence  of  a  diversion  in  either 
of  these  directions,  she  was  confident  that  she  had  only  to  show 
herself  in  la  Vendee  for  the  decision  of  the  la  Fetelliere  con- 
ference to  be  ignored,  and  the  whole  country  to  rally  to  her 
standard. 

The  princess  remained  at  the  Chateau  of  Plassac  until  May 
16,  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  Marechal  de  Bourmont,  who  had 
parted  from  her  at  Bonrecueil,  and  was  journeying  to  la  Vendee 
by  way  of  the  Bourbonnais,  and  conferring  with  the  Legitimist 
leaders  in  the  departments  through  which  he  passed.     But,  as 


316  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

the  days  went  by  without  any  news  of  the  marshal,  she  put 
herself  into  communication  with  Achille  Guibourg,  a  young 
advocate  of  Nantes,  whom  she  had  appointed  her  civil  commis- 
sioner in  Brittany,  and  the  Baron  de  Charette,  and,  apparently 
on  their  advice,  decided  to  summon  her  partisans  to  take  up 
arms  forthwith.1  Accordingly,  on  May  15,  she  issued  the  fol- 
lowing proclamation : — 

"Vendeens  and  Bretons,  and  all  you  inhabitants  of  the 
faithful  provinces  of  the  West,  having  disembarked  in  the 
South,  I  have  not  feared  to  traverse  France,  in  the  midst  of 
dangers,  to  redeem  a  sacred  promise,  that  of  coming  among  my 
brave  friends  to  share  their  perils  and  their  labours.  I  am  at 
length  among  this  heroic  people !  Open  to  the  fortune  of 
France.  I  place  myself  at  your  head,  sure  of  conquering  with 
such  soldiers.  Henri  V.  calls  you ;  his  mother,  Regent  of 
France,  consecrates  herself  to  your  happiness.  Let  us  repeat 
our  old  and  new  cry :    Vive  le  Roi  !     Vive  Henri  V.  i 

"Marie-Caroline,  Regent  of  France" 

And  in  a  letter  which  she  sent  to  the  Vendeen  leaders,  she 
informed  them  that  it  was  her  intention  that  they  should  take 
up  arms  on  the  24th  of  that  month. 

On  the  following  day,  Madame  quitted  Plassac,  in  a  post- 
chaise,  accompanied  by  the  Marquis  and  Marquise  de  Dampierre, 
Mesnard  and  the  Comte  de  Lorge,  the  latter,  still  disguised  as 
a  coachman,  occupying  the  box-seat.  Charette  had  written 
begging  her  to  avoid  the  high-road  to  Nantes,  as  it  was 
patrolled  by  detachments  of  gendarmes,  who  had  orders  to 
stop  travellers,  examine  their  passports,  and  search  their  car- 
riages, and  to  arrest  any  one  whom  they  considered  suspicious  ; 
and  her  hosts  had  added  their  persuasions  to  his.  But  she 
insisted  that  the  boldest  course  was  the  safest,  and,  by  what 
seemed  to  her  companions  little  short  of  a  miracle,  they  were 
only  once  stopped,  when  the  gendarmes,  having  examined  the 
passport  which  described  \  the  princess  as  the  Comtesse  de 
Villeneuve-Bargemont,  expressed  themselves  satisfied. 

1  According  to  Charette  (Jourtial  militaire  d'un  chef  de  POuest),  the  reason  which 
determined  her  to  this  step  was  that  the  success  of  the  movement  depended  upon 
surprise,  and  that,  if  it  were  delayed,  her  presence  in  the  West  might  be  discovered, 
and  the  Government  have  time  to  concentrate  its  troops,  then  scattered  in  small 
detachments. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  317 

At  a  little  after  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  17th, 
they  reached  the  Chateau  of  Preuille,  near  Montaigu,  the  resi- 
dence of  Colonel  de  Nacquart,  who  was  to  command  the 
Legitimist  forces  of  the  district.  Here  they  found  Guibourg 
and  Charette,  with  whom  Madame  had  a  short  conference. 
Then  the  Dampierres,  Lorge,  and  Guibourg — who  had  taken 
the  place  of  Mesnard — drove  on  to  Nantes  ;  while  Madame 
retired  to  change  once  more  into  masculine  attire,  and  re- 
appeared, dressed  in  the  black  waistcoat  with  metal  buttons, 
blue  blouse,  and  wide  breeches  of  a  Vendeen  peasant,  her  fair 
hair  concealed  beneath  a  brown  wig  and  a  woollen  cap. 

In  this  disguise,  the  Regent  of  France,  who  had  baptized 
herself  Petit-Pierre,  left  the  chateau,  and,  escorted  by  a  gentle- 
man of  the  neighbourhood  named  Guignard,  set  off  on  foot  for 
le  Morlier,  near  Remouille,  where  she  was  to  await  Mesnard 
and  Charette,  who  were  so  well  known  in  that  part  of  the 
country  that  they  dared  not  travel  by  day.  The  count  and  the 
baron  joined  her  when  darkness  fell,  and,  guided  by  a  peasant 
named  Le  Normand,  the  three  started  for  a  lonely  little  house 
called  Bellecour,  about  four  leagues  distant,  which  belonged  to 
one  of  Charette's  followers.  Deeming  it  advisable  to  avoid  the 
high-road,  they  struck  off  across  country ;  but  it  was  a  very 
dark  night,  and  their  progress  was  slow  and  laborious.  After 
they  had  gone  a  short  distance,  they  came  to  a  little  river,  the 
Moine,  which  they  had  to  cross  by  a  causeway  of  stones.  The 
guide,  who  was  holding  Madame 's  hand,  slipped  and  fell  into 
the  water,  dragging  the  princess  with  him  ;  and  she  would,  in 
all  probability,  have  been  drowned,  if  Charette,  who  was  a  fine 
swimmer,  had  not  promptly  jumped  in  after  her. 

The  intrepid  little  lady  did  not  seem  in  the  least  discon- 
certed by  the  mishap,  and  smilingly  remarked,  "  To-day  I  have 
been  through  the  water ;  to-morrow,  let  us  hope,  it  will  be  the 
fire."    Notwithstanding  the  wetting  she  had  received,  she  wished 
to  continue  her  journey  ;  but  her  companions  thought  that  it 
would  be  dangerous  for  her  to  go  further  in  this  condition,  and 
they  returned  to  le  Morlier.      Madame  obtained  a  change  of 
linen  and  dried  her  outer  garments  ;  while  the  others,  having 
decided  that  they  must   take  their   chance  of  being   stopped 
upon  the  high-road,  went  in    search  of  horses.     They  managed 
to  procure  two ;   the  princess   mounted   behind  Le  Normand ; 
Mesnard   took   the  other    horse,    and    Charette   walked   some 


318  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

distance  ahead,  to  give  them  timely  warning  of  the  approach 
of  any  gendarmes.  None  appeared,  however,  and,  on  nearing 
Montbert,  they  dismounted,  and,  while  Le  Normand  returned 
with  the  two  horses  to  le  Morlier,  the  others  made  their  way 
in  safety  to  Bellecour.1 

Scarcely  had  Madame,  worn  out  by  the  adventures  of  the 
night,  retired  to  rest  than  she  was  awakened  by  the  news  that 
two  gentlemen  had  arrived  with  a  letter,  which  they  insisted  on 
her  receiving  immediately.  This  letter,  which  was  signed  by 
the  Marquis  de  Coislin  and  several  other  Vendeen  chiefs,  ex- 
pressed great  astonishment  that  the  princess  should  have  issued 
a  call  to  arms  without  consulting  them,  or  even  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  Bourmont ;  pointed  out  that,  in  the  absence  of  any 
diversion  in  the  South,  the  prospect  of  a  successful  movement 
in  the  West  was  almost  hopeless,  and  entreated  her  to  counter- 
mand her  orders  for  May  24. 

This  appeal  to  reason,  however,  had  no  effect  upon  the 
determination  of  Madame,  who  had  listened  too  long  to  the 
voice  of  enthusiasm,  and  she  replied  in  an  indignant  letter,  in 
which  she  reminded  them  that  she  had  come  to  la  Vendee  at 
their  urgent  entreaty,  and  in  full  reliance  on  their  assurances  of 
devotion,  and  that,  having  braved  all  dangers  in  order  to  keep 
her  promise  to  them,  she  had  never  doubted  for  a  moment  their 
willingness  to  execute  their  engagements  to  her.  The  orders 
for  the  24th  must  be  executed,  and  she  counted  on  their  loyalty 
to  facilitate  them. 

The  princess  and  her  companions  had  intended  to  remain 
at  Bellecour  until  the  morning  of  the  19th  ;  but  that  evening 
they  received  intelligence  which  necessitated  their  abrupt  de- 
parture. A  messenger  whom  Charette  had  sent  on  the  previous 
day  to  Nantes,  to  purchase  a  riding-habit,  some  linen,  and  other 
articles  for  Madame,  and  to  carry  several  important  letters  to 
their  partisans  in  that  town,  had  been  arrested  on  his  return 
journey  ;  and  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  police  were  now 
aware  of  the  princess's  presence  in  la  Vendee,  and  perhaps  even 
that  she  was  at  Bellecour. 

They  accordingly  lost  not  a  moment  in  leaving  the  house, 
Madame  still  disguised  as  a  peasant,  and  trudged  bravely  along 
through  a  night  of  wind  and  rain  to  a  little  farmhouse  near 
G£neton,    where,    from    fear  of    betraying   her    incognito,   the 

1  Mesnard. 


CHARLES   ATHANASK   DE   CHARETTE,    BARON    DE    LA   CONTRIE 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  319 

princess  declined  the  bed  which  the  farmer  offered  to  surrender 
to  her,  and  slept  on  a  pile  of  straw  in  a  vacant  stall  in  the 
stable.  In  the  course  of  the  following  day,  one  of  her  partisans 
arrived,  bringing  her  a  letter  from  the  Marechal  de  Bourmont, 
written  on  the  17th.  The  marshal  informed  her  that  he  would 
be  at  Nantes  on  the  19th,  and  the  princess  wrote  ordering  him 
to  join  her  as  soon  as  possible. 

When  darkness  fell,  she  and  her  companions  resumed  their 
journey,  and  made  their  way  on  foot  to  the  Chateau  of  Lou- 
vardiere,  belonging  to  Hyacinthe  de  la  Roberie,  a  Royalist 
who  had  distinguished  himself  during  the  Vendeen  rising  of 
1 81 5.  They  slept  that  night  at  Louvardiere,  and  next  day 
proceeded  to  le  Magasin,  a  chateau  situated  near  Saint-Etienne- 
Corcoue,  Madame  mounted  on  the  crupper  of  La  Roberie's 
horse.  Here  they  remained  until  dusk,  when  they  set  forth 
once  more,  and,  towards  midnight,  reached  a  little  house  called 
le  Meslier,  about  a  league  from  Lege,  in  the  arrondissement  of 
Nantes,  belonging  to  a  M.  de  la  Roche  Saint-Andre\ 

This  little  house,  hidden  amid  the  woods  and  never  inhabited 
by  its  owner,  except  for  a  few  days  each  year  at  the  time  of  the 
vintage,  had  hitherto  escaped  the  notice  of  the  authorities  and 
the  police,  who  were  keeping  a  very  close  watch  on  most  of  the 
country-houses  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Nantes  ;  and  it  had 
therefore  been  chosen  by  Charette  as  a  rendezvous  for  the 
Vendeen  leaders,  and  as  a  place  where  Madame  might  remain 
in  comparative  safety  until  the  moment  for  action  arrived. 

On  her  arrival,  the  princess  found  several  of  the  leaders 
awaiting  her.  All  hastened  to  assure  her  of  their  personal 
devotion,  but  all  expressed  their  conviction  that  the  rising  was 
foredoomed  to  complete  failure.  In  the  present  circumstances, 
they  feared  that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt  anything. 

"  What,  gentlemen  !  "  cried  the  indignant  princess.  "  I  take 
no  account  of  any  obstacle  ;  I  come  among  you,  and  you  can 
do  nothing  for  me  ?  "  "  Madame,"  rejoined  one  of  them,  "  the 
time  has  come  to  speak  the  truth.  We  have  received,  in  your 
name,  repeated  assurances  that  la  Vendue  would  never  be  called 
upon  to  rise  in  arms,  except  in  the  event  of  your  Royal  High- 
ness obtaining  certain  successes  in  the  South,  of  a  republic 
being  installed  in  the  capital,  or  of  a  foreign  invasion  menacing 
our  frontiers.  The  movement  is  reduced  to  us  Vendeens  ;  there 
is  not  one  of  us  who  can  effect  anything  now  that  Marseilles 


320  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

has  failed,  and  that  we  see  your  Royal  Highness  compelled  to 
conceal  herself  from  her  pursuers ;  we  cannot  deceive  our 
peasants.  The  inhabitants  of  this  country  are  discouraged  and 
disconcerted  ;  they  believe  you  to  be  a  prisoner,  all  the  journals 
having  announced  it.  In  a  word,  they  will  not  rise,  we  are 
convinced." 

The  others  declared  themselves  of  the  same  opinion  as  the 
speaker,  and  entreated  Madame  to  countermand  her  orders  for 
the  24th. 

The  princess  replied  that  it  was  now  too  late  to  do  so.  The 
counter-order  could  not  possibly  reach  the  more  distant 
divisions  in  time  to  prevent  them  taking  up  arms,  and, 
deprived  of  the  support  upon  which  they  had  counted,  they 
would  be  destroyed. 

On  the  morrow,  these  gentlemen  and  several  others,  all  of 
whom  were  attached  to  the  corps  which  Charette  was  to  com- 
mand, drew  up  and  sent  to  the  princess  and  the  baron  a  protest 
embodying  the  arguments  which  had  been  used  on  the  previous 
day.  Charette  despatched  one  of  his  friends  to  remonstrate 
with  them,  but,  though  one  or  two  were  perfectly  willing  to  risk 
their  own  lives,  they  refused  to  expose  those  of  their  peasants  in 
a  hopeless  struggle. 

Towards  midnight,  a  man  in  the  dress  of  a  Vend^en  peasant 
and  covered  with  mud  presented  himself  at  le  Meslier  and 
demanded  to  see  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  The  stranger  was 
none  other  than  the  celebrated  advocate  Berryer,  who  had  been 
despatched  by  the  Royalist  committee  in  Paris  to  persuade  the 
princess  to  abandon  what  her  friends  in  the  capital  now  con- 
sidered a  hopeless  enterprise.  He  had  reached  Nantes  that 
morning,  had  had  an  interview  with  Bourmont,  and  had  induced 
the  marshal  to  issue,  in  his  capacity  as  commander-in-chief  of 
the  Vendeen  forces,  a  counter-order,  directing  the  various 
generals  to  "  suspend  the  execution  of  the  orders  which  they 
had  received,  and  to  take  no  overt  action  until  further  instruc- 
tions." He  had  then  disguised  himself,  and,  guided  by  friendly 
peasants,  set  out  for  le  Meslier.  On  his  way,  he  had  been 
obliged  to  wade  through  a  marsh,  which  accounted  for  his 
disreputable  appearance. 

Berryer  found  the  princess  lying  on  a  truckle-bed,  wrapped 
in  a  Scotch  shawl  and  with  a  peasant's  cap  on  her  head.  On  a 
table  by  her  side  lay  her  wig  and  four  pistols.     He  informed 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  321 

her  of  the  counter-order  which  Bourmont  had  issued,  and  read 
to  her  a  letter  which  the  Paris  committee  had  entrusted  to  him. 
This  epistle,  which  had  been  drawn  up  by  Chateaubriand, 
declared  that  Madame  had  been  completely  deceived  if  she  had 
been  led  to  expect  a  Royalist  movement  in  the  capital,  as,  after 
recent  events,  they  would  not  be  able  to  find  twelve  hundred 
men  there  to  take  up  arms  on  her  behalf;  that  a  rising  in 
la  Vendee  would  have  no  other  result  than  to  bring  ruin  and 
misery  upon  the  unfortunate  peasants  and  to  consolidate  the 
present  Government  by  an  easy  triumph  ;  and  that  it,  in  conse- 
quence, now  became  her  duty  to  order  the  Vendeen  leaders  to 
remain  quiet  and  to  hasten  her  departure  from  France.  Thus, 
she  would  have  "  the  twofold  glory  of  accomplishing  a  cour- 
ageous action,  and  of  preventing  the  effusion  of  the  blood  of 
Frenchmen." 

These  pacific — or,  as  Madame  considered  them,  pusillanimous 
— counsels  were,  as  may  be  imagined,  not  at  all  to  the  liking  of 
the  bellicose  princess,  and  she  and  Berryer  argued  the  matter 
until  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  At  length,  she  yielded,  or 
perhaps  only  pretended  to  yield,  and  directed  him  to  proceed 
to  le  Magasin,  where  she  would  join  him  in  the  course  of  the 
day.  From  there  she  would  make  her  way  to  Nantes,  and 
so  to  the  coast  of  Brittany,  where  she  hoped  to  be  able  to  find 
a  ship. 

The  great  advocate  departed,  convinced  that  he  had  won 
his  case,  and  repaired  to  the  rendezvous,  accompanied  by 
Charette,  who  joined  him  on  the  way.  He  had  been  much 
impressed  by  the  courage  and  energy  shown  by  Madame,  and 
spoke  of  her  in  terms  of  the  warmest  admiration.  "  There  is  in 
that  princess's  heart  and  head,"  said  he,  "the  stuff  to  make 
twenty  kings."  1 

Berryer  and  Charette  waited  all  day  for  Madame,  but  she 
did  not  appear.  At  length,  just  as  they  had  decided  that  she 
must  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  the  peasant  who 
was  to  have  acted  as  her  guide  arrived  and  handed  the  baron  a 
letter,  which  ran  as  follows  : — 

"  My  dear  Charette, 

"  I    am    remaining    among   you  ;    I   am    writing    to 
inform   Berryer  of  my  determination.     The  enclosed  letter  is 

1  Cretineau-Joly,  Histoire  de  la  Vendee  militaire. 
Y 


322  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

for  the  marshal.  I  am  sending  him  orders  to  join  me  imme- 
diately. 

"  I  am  remaining,  because  my  presence  has  compromised  a 
great  number  of  my  faithful  servants.  It  would  be  cowardly 
of  me  to  abandon  them.  Besides,  I  hope  that,  despite  the 
unfortunate  counter-order,  God  will  give  us  the  victory. 

"  Adieu,  my  dear  friend,  do  not  send  in  your  resignation, 
since  Petit-Pierre  does  not  send  in  hers  ! " l 

The  cause  of  this  sudden  change  in  Madame's  resolutions 
was  a  letter  which  she  had  received  a  few  hours  after  Berryer's 
departure.  It  had  been  despatched  from  Toulon,  under  cover  to 
one  of  her  partisans  at  Nantes,  and  announced  that  the  South 
was  rising  in  insurrection.  The  news  was  absolutely  without 
foundation,  and  the  writer,  whose  identity  was  never  estab- 
lished, was  no  doubt  some  fanatical  Legitimist,  who  desired  to 
see  a  rising  at  any  cost ;  but  before  the  truth  was  discovered,  the 
princess  was  irrevocably  committed  to  the  enterprise  which  she 
had  seemed  on  the  point  of  abandoning. 

On  the  night  of  May  24-25,  Charette's  aide-de-camp,  the 
Comte  Henri  de  Puyseux,  who  had  conducted  Berryer  back  to 
Nantes,  returned  to  le  Meslier,  bringing  with  him  the  Marechal 
de  Bourmont.  A  council  of  war  was  at  once  summoned,  and 
a  very  animated  discussion  followed.  Most  of  those  present 
were  strongly  opposed  to  a  rising,  declining  to  place  any  faith 
in  the  Toulon  letter,  and  pointing  out  that  a  proclamation  which 
Madame  had  issued  three  days  before  to  the  troops  stationed  in 
la  Vendue,  calling  on  them  to  rally  to  her  side,  appeared  to  have 
been  entirely  without  effect. 

"  Monsieur  le  Marechal,"  said  one  to  Bourmont,  "  if  you  were 
sure  of  two  regiments,  we  should  not  hesitate."  "  Two  regiments  ! " 
replied  the  marshal.  "  If  I  had  two  battalions,  I  should  not 
consult  you."  Then  Madame  and  the  enthusiasts  declared  that 
intelligence  had  been  received  from  Paris  that  the  long-expected 
Republican  insurrection  would  certainly  break  out  in  the  first 
days  of  June ;  that,  if  they  took  up  arms  simultaneously,  the 
Government  would  be  between  two  fires,  and  that,  in  any  case, 
honour  required  them  to  rise,  if  only  to  protect  those  who  had 
not  received  the  counter-order  in  time  and  were  by  now  hope- 
lessly compromised.     "  Gentlemen,"  cried  the  gallant  Puyseux, 

1  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand,  la  Duckesse  de  Berry  et  la  Vendie, 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  323 

"  we  have  only  two  roads ;  one  leads  probably  to  death,  the 
other  leads  certainly  to  dishonour.  The  choice  cannot  be 
doubtful." 

Finally,  the  war-party  carried  the  day ;  the  rising  was 
fixed  for  the  night  of  June  3-4,  and  Madame  signed  the 
following  order : — 

"  Having  formed  the  resolution  not  to  quit  the  provinces 
of  the  West,  and  to  entrust  myself  to  their  loyalty  so  long 
proved,  I  count  on  you,  Monsieur,  to  take  all  the  necessary 
measures  for  the  rising  in  arms,  which  will  take  place  on  the 
night  of  the  3rd  to  4th  of  June.1  I  summon  to  me  all  men  of 
courage.  God  will  aid  us  to  save  our  country.  No  danger,  no 
fatigue,  will  discourage  me.  You  will  see  me  appear  at  the  first 
gathering. 

"Marie-Caroline,  Regent  of  France"2 

1  This  moment  had  been  selected,  on  the  advice  of  Bourmont,  because  June  3  was 
a  Sunday,  and  it  would  be  easy  for  the  captains  in  the  different  parishes,  without 
exciting  any  suspicion,  to  communicate  the  order  for  the  rising  to  the  peasants,  when 
they  assembled,  as  was  their  custom,  at  the  church-doors,  after  Mass. 

2  Cretineau-Joly. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

Disastrous  effects  of  the  counter-order  issued  by  Bourmont — Seizure  of  the  con- 
spirators' plan  of  campaign  and  other  important  paper  at  the  Chateau  of  la  Chasliere 
— Madame  leaves  le  Meslier,  and  makes  her  way  to  la  Mouchetiere — The  news  that 
gendarmes  are  approaching  obliges  her  to  escape,  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  across 
the  fields  to  Moulin-Etienne — Anguish  of  Madame  on  learning  of  the  disasters  that 
have  befallen  her  cause — She  is  escorted  by  a  party  of  Vendeen  gentlemen  to  la 
Brosse,  near  Montbert — Berryer  writes  to  the  princess  imploring  her  to  allow  him  to 
conduct  her  to  Savoy ;  but  she  repulses  with  indignation  all  idea  of  flight — The 
Vendeens  rise  in  arms  in  the  night  of  June  3-4,  but  the  insurrection  is  easily  sup- 
pressed— Bravery  of  Charette's  corps — Barbarities  committed  by  Louis-Philippe's 
troops  on  the  non-combatants — Butchery  at  la  Mouchetiere — The  combat  of  le  Chene 
— Heroic  defence  of  the  Chateau  of  la  Penissiere — Visit  of  a  party  of  soldiers  to  la 
Brosse — Madame  is  compelled  to  hide  for  six  hours  in  a  ditch — She  proceeds  to  Pont 
Saint-Martin,  and  decides  to  take  refuge  at  Nantes — The  princess  and  Mile.  Eulalie 
de  Kersabiec  set  out  for  Nantes,  disguised  as  peasant-women — An  adventurous  journey 
— Mada7iie  reads  a  proclamation  offering  a  large  reward  for  information  which  may 
lead  to  her  arres  t — She  arrives  safely  at  the  Kersabiecs'  house  at  Nantes. 

IT  is  very  doubtful  whether,  in  any  case,  the  movement  in 
la  Vendue  would  have  had  even  a  remote  chance  of 
ultimate  success.  At  the  same  time,  the  Government  and 
the  military  authorities  were  so  far  from  suspecting  that  they 
were  on  the  very  eve  of  an  insurrection  that  they  had  made  few 
preparations  for  such  a  contingency.  If,  therefore,  the  Legiti- 
mists in  the  different  departments  had  risen  en  masse  on  the 
date  originally  fixed,  and  made  a  simultaneous  attack  on  the 
weak  detachments  scattered  up  and  down  the  country,  there  is 
every  probability  that  most  of  these  would  have  been  either 
captured  or  destroyed,  and  that,  aided  by  the  prestige  of  victory, 
Madame  and  her  adherents  would  have  succeeded  in  establishing 
themselves  so  firmly  in  certain  parts  of  the  West,  that  it  would 
have  necessitated  a  regular  campaign  to  dislodge  them. 

However  that  may  be,  the  unfortunate  counter-order  which 
Bourmont  had  issued  ruined  everything.  Not  only  did  it  arouse 
uncertainty,  distrust,  and  confusion  in  every  direction,  but  it  did 
not  even  reach  the  more  remote  districts  in  time.  In  conse- 
quence, those  companies  which  had  not  received  it  rose  in  arms, 

324 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  325 

and,  being,  of  course,  left  unsupported  by  those  which  had,  were 
destroyed  or  dispersed.  Several  of  the  leaders  were  wounded 
or  taken  prisoners,  and  the  gallant  Jacques  Cathelineau,  son  of 
the  celebrated  chief  of  '93,  was  shot  in  cold  blood  by  an  officer 
of  the  29th  Regiment'  to  whom  he  had  surrendered,  and  thus 
perished,  like  his  father,  a  martyr  of  the  Royalist  cause.  To 
crown  all,  information  having  reached  General  Dermoncourt, 
who  commanded  the  troops  at  Nantes,  that  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  was  concealed  in  the  Chateau  of  la  Chasliere,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Erdre  (Loire-Inferieure),  he  proceeded  thither,  and 
searched  the  house  from  cellar  to  attic.  The  princess  was,  of 
course,  not  forthcoming ;  nevertheless,  the  general  was  amply 
rewarded  for  his  trouble,  since  he  discovered,  hidden  in  some 
empty  wine-bottles,  the  plan  of  campaign,  a  number  of  letters 
signed  by  the  leaders  of  the  movement,  and  the  key  to  their 
signatures. 

Madame  remained  at  le  Meslier  until  the  night  of  May  31- 
June  1,  when  she  set  out  for  the  La  Roberies'  chateau  at 
Louvardiere,  four  leagues  distant,  partly  because,  although  the 
seizure  of  the  papers  at  la  Chasliere  was  not  yet  known,  she 
considered  it  advisable  to  change  her  asylum,  and  partly  because 
she  wished  to  be  near  the  centre  of  operations.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  reverses  for  which  the  fatal  counter-order  had  been 
responsible,  and  the  fact  that  the  military  authorities  must  now 
be  fully  prepared  for  any  emergency,  she  had  refused  to  abandon 
hope,  and  believed  that  some  brilliant  success  might  atone 
for  all. 

Accompanied  by  Mile.  Eulalie  de  Kersabiec,  a  young  Breton 
lady,  who  was  henceforth  to  share  her  sufferings  and  dangers, 
Mesnard,  a  miller  named  Sorin,  a  servant  from  le  Meslier,  and 
a  peasant,  who  acted  as  guide,  Madame  arrived,  shortly  before 
daybreak,  at  a  mill  not  far  from  Louvardiere,  where,  if  the  coast 
were  clear,  La  Roberie  and  his  son  had  arranged  to  meet  her 
and  conduct  her  to  the  chateau.  The  two  gentlemen  did  not 
arrive,  however  ;  through  some  misunderstanding,  they  had  been 
expecting  the  princess  for  two  days,  and,  since  she  did  not  put 
in  an  appearance,  they  had  left  for  a  farm  on  a  distant  part  of 
their  estate,  called  la  Mouchetiere.  As  the  day  was  close  at 
hand,  and  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to  remain  any  longer 
in  a  neighbourhood  in  which  several  detachments  of  Louis- 
Philippe's  troops  were  known  to  be  encamped,  the  party  decided 


326  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

to  make  for  le  Magasin.     Here  Madame  remained  until  evening, 
and  then  proceeded  to  la  Mouchetiere. 

She  found  the  household  in  great  alarm.  The  gendarmerie 
had  attempted  to  arrest  one  of  their  friends  as  he  was  leaving 
the  farm  that  afternoon,  and  they  feared  that  a  domiciliary  visit 
was  imminent.  Their  apprehensions  were  well  founded,  for,  in 
the  middle  of  the  night,  Madame  was  awakened  by  the  news 
that  gendarmes  were  approaching  the  house.  The  La  Roberies 
proposed  to  conceal  the  princess  in  a  hole  which  had  been 
made  beneath  the  kitchen-floor ;  but  this  hiding-place  wore 
so  uninviting  an  appearance  that  she  decided  that  flight  would 
be  infinitely  preferable.  Accompanied  by  her  host  and  Mesnard, 
she  made  her  way  across  the  fields  to  le  Moulin-Etienne,  a 
house  some  miles  distant,  which  belonged  to  a  M.  de  la  Haye, 
one  of  her  most  faithful  partisans.  Here  she  was  visited  by 
Henri  de  Puyseux  and  other  leaders  of  the  movement,  and 
learned,  to  her  anguish,  that  Cathelineau,  who  would  have  been 
a  host  in  himself,  was  dead ;  that  several  Vendeen  nobles  had 
announced  their  intention  of  taking  no  part  in  the  rising ;  that 
all  the  plans  of  the  enterprise  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  and  that  the  troops  of  Louis-Philippe  were  rapidly 
concentrating. 

Now,  at  last,  the  fortitude  of  the  heroic  little  woman  gave 
way,  and  she  sobbed  bitterly.  "  Ah  ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  it  is  the 
last  blow  to  all  my  hopes.  O  my  son  !  thou  wilt  never  know 
the  anguish  and  the  tears  of  thy  mother !  "  Gladly  would  she 
have  despatched  a  new  counter-order,  but  it  was  now,  of  course, 
too  late  ;  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  the  peasants  in  every 
parish  throughout  the  West  would  have  received  their  instruc- 
tions to  take  up  arms. 

That  evening  she  left  Moulin-Etienne,  and  was  conducted 
by  a  party  of  Vendeen  gentlemen  to  la  Brosse,  a  lonely  house 
not  far  from  Montbert,  belonging  to  one  of  her  partisans  at 
Nantes,  where  she  was  to  await  the  rising  of  the  following  night. 
Determined  not  to  allow  her  escort  to  suspect  her  despondency, 
she  laughed  and  jested  gaily.  "  Confess,  gentlemen,"  said  she, 
glancing  at  the  men  muffled  in  their  long  cloaks  and  armed  to 
the  teeth  who  surrounded  her,  "  confess  that  we  resemble  a 
band  of  robbers  rather  than  honest  people."1 

Next  morning,  Madame  received  a  letter  from  Berryer,  who 

1  Charette,  Journal  mililaire  d'un  chef  de  F  Quest. 


V 


PIERRE  ANTOINE   BERRYER 

FROM    A    LITHOGRAPH    BY   DELFECH 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  327 

was  still  at  Nantes,  in  which  he  informed  her  that  orders  had 
come  from  Paris  for  her  arrest,  and  implored  her  to  allow  him 
to  conduct  her  to  Savoy,  for  which  he  had  obtained  a  passport 
for  himself  and  a  lady.  "  There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose,"  he 
wrote.  "  A  domiciliary  visit  has  been  paid  my  house  in  Paris. 
Nothing  suspicious  was  discovered,  but  the  procureur  du  roi  here 
has  given  orders  for  my  arrest,  if  I  do  not  leave  this  very  day. 
I  have  requested  permission  to  go,  by  way  of  Angouleme,  into 
Auvergne,  and  thence  to  Savoy.  I  shall  not  start  until  Tuesday 
morning,  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock.  My  papers  are  in 
order,  and  the  passport  of  which  I  am  the  bearer  will  permit 
of  my  taking  Madame  with  me.  If  the  persons  with  Madame 
wish  to  save  her,  they  may  take  advantage  of  to-morrow  night 
to  conduct  her,  in  disguise,  to  la  Rochelle. 

"We  had  news  of  Madame 's  family  on  May  25  ;  all  are  well, 
but  cruelly  anxious.  In  the  name  of  that  august  family,  in  the 
name  of  France,  in  the  name  of  the  young  Henri  V.,  in  the 
name  of  all  the  Royalists,  I  implore  Madame  to  retire.  The 
way  I  have  indicated  is  good,  and,  though  there  is  barely  time, 
there  is  sufficient."1 

This  letter  was  quite  without  effect  upon  the  princess,  who 
repulsed  with  indignation  all  idea  of  flight.  She  was  deter- 
mined, she  declared,  to  remain  with  her  faithful  Venddens,  and, 
if  necessary,  to  die  with  them. 

We  shall  not  attempt  more  than  a  very  brief  account  of  that 
most  hopeless  of  insurrections  which  began  on  the  night  of 
June  3-4,  1832.  The  Vendeens  still  had  courage  on  their  side, 
but  they  no  longer  had  numbers,  for,  after  the  reverses  which 
had  followed  the  counter-order  and  the  discovery  of  their  plans 
by  the  enemy,  even  the  most  ignorant  peasant  must  have  recog- 
nised the  folly  of  the  undertaking,  and  the  mass  of  the  people 
did  not  move.  Many  of  the  nobles  and  gentry,  mingling  con- 
sideration for  their  tenants  with  their  own  devotion  to  the 
Bourbon  cause,  took  up  arms  themselves,  but  advised  the 
peasants  who  would  have  followed  them  to  remain  quiet ;  and 
thus  in  some  districts  the  insurgents  were  drawn  almost  entirely 
from  the  upper  classes. 

Of  the  three  corps  of  which  the  Vend6en  army  was  composed, 
those  of  Anjou  and  Brittany  were  so  weak  that  they  were  quite 

1  Archives  Rationales,  published  by  Thirria. 


328  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

unable  to  sustain  the  unequal  struggle,  and  were  speedily  routed 
and  dispersed.  The  third,  commanded  by  Charette,  which 
operated  in  the  department  of  la  Vendee  and  the  southern 
portion  of  Loire-Inferieure,  and  numbered  in  its  ranks  many 
veterans  of  the  old  wars,  fought  with  all  the  heroism  of  despair, 
and,  if  it  effected  nothing  else,  covered  itself  with  glory. 

The  men  under  Charette's  immediate  command  were  par- 
ticularly exasperated  against  the  soldiers  of  Louis-Philippe, 
who  conducted  themselves  towards  the  non-combatants  with 
a  ferocity  worthy  of  the  worst  traditions  of  the  Vend^en  wars. 
A  shocking  example  of  this  occurred  in  the  early  morning  of 
June  6. 

A  company  of  the  17th  Regiment  visited  la  Mouchetiere, 
where  it  was  reported  that  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  taken 
refuge.  The  inmates  iled  at  the  approach  of  the  soldiers,  where- 
upon the  latter  fired,  killing  at  the  first  volley  the  farmer,  his 
wife,  his  son,  and  one  of  their  servants.  Celine  de  la  Roberie, 
a  charming  young  girl  of  sixteen,  was  pursued  by  a  sergeant, 
who  deliberately  shot  her  through  the  back,  killing  her  on  the 
spot,  after  which  his  comrades  mutilated  the  body  with  their 
bayonets. 

On  learning  of  the  terrible  fate  of  his  daughter,  M.  de  la 
Roberie,  who  commanded  a  division  under  Charette,  rushed 
like  one  distracted  to  his  general's  quarters  to  demand  vengeance 
on  the  murderers,  and  all  the  peasants  clamoured  to  be  led 
against  the  enemy.  Charette,  against  his  better  judgment,  for 
he  had  sustained  a  reverse  near  Aigrefeuille  on  the  4th,  and 
had  only  some  six  hundred  men  with  him,  consented  and 
attacked  the  troops  posted  at  the  little  village  of  le  Chene. 
After  a  furious  hand-to-hand  struggle,  the  Vendeers  drove  the 
enemy  out  of  the  village  and  pursued  him  for  some  distance ; 
but  reinforcements  came  up,  and  they  were  eventually  com- 
pelled to  retire,  with  considerable  loss.  Among  the  wounded 
was  Auguste  de  Bonrecueil,  who  expired  the  following  day. 

About  the  same  time  as  this  engagement  was  taking  place, 
the  Chateau  of  la  Penissiere-de-la-Cour,  near  Clisson  (Vendue), 
was  the  scene  of  another  stubborn  conflict.  A  party  of  forty- 
two  Vendeens,  mostly  gentlemen  of  the  neighbourhood,  which 
had  halted  there  on  its  way  to  Cugan,  was  besieged  by  the 
29th  Regiment.  For  several  hours  they  held  the  enemy  at  bay, 
two  attempts  to  storm  the  place  being  repulsed  with  heavy  loss. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  329 

At  length,  the  soldiers  succeeded  in  setting  fire  to  the  chateau, 
and  the  flames  spread  so  rapidly  that  it  seemed  as  though  its 
garrison  would  have  no  choice  between  surrender  and  a  terrible 
death.  However,  eight  of  the  Vendeens  volunteered  to  hold 
the  burning  building,  while  their  comrades  effected  their  escape 
by  a  door  leading  to  the  garden.  This  was  accomplished  with 
little  loss  ;  and,  finally,  just  before  the  roof  fell  in  with  a  terrible 
crash,  the  eight  heroes  succeeded  in  making  their  way  into  a 
cellar,  where  they  remained  until  night,  unmolested  by  the 
besiegers,  who  believed  that  they  had  perished  in  the  flames. 

But  such  heroic  deeds  were,  of  course,  quite  unavailing  ; 
and,  after  the  action  at  le  Chene,  Charette  decided  to  disband 
the  small  force  that  remained  to  him,  and,  on  June  7,  went  to 
la  Brosse,  to  communicate  his  decision  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry.  Madame,  it  should  be  mentioned,  had  been  very  anxious 
to  follow  the  Vendeens  on  the  previous  day,  but  Charette  had 
refused  to  allow  her  to  expose  herself,  and  the  engagement  had 
taken  place  without  her  being  informed  of  it. 

Scarcely  had  Charette  reached  la  Brosse,  where  he  found 
the  princess,  Eulalie  de  Kersabiec,  Mesnard,  Brissac,  La  Ro- 
berie,  the  Comte  de  la  Chesnaverie,  and  a  wounded  Vendeen 
gentleman,  Bruneau  de  la  Souchais,  than  a  breathless  peasant 
hurried  up  with  the  news  that  a  detachment  of  soldiers  was 
approaching.  They  all,  including  the  wounded  man,  at  once 
quitted  the  house  and  concealed  themselves  in  a  ditch,  half- 
filled  with  water,  in  a  field  at  the  bottom  of  the  garden,  flanked, 
on  one  side,  by  a  tall  hedge,  and,  on  the  other,  by  thick  bushes, 
and  covered  with  long  grass.  Here  they  remained  for  six 
hours,  when  the  soldiers,  having  searched  the  house  and  the 
neighbourhood,  and,  on  one  occasion,  approached  to  within  a 
few  paces  of  their  hiding-place,  finally  retired.  Madame  and 
her  friends  did  not,  however,  venture  to  return  to  la  Brosse  ; 
and,  since  it  would  have  been  dangerous  for  them  to  keep 
together,  they  decided  to  separate ;  and  the  princess,  accom- 
panied only  by  Eulalie  de  Kersabiec,  made  her  way  to  a  house 
near  the  village  of  Pont-Saint-Martin. 

But  for  Madame  to  remain  in  the  Bocage  was  impossible, 
for  the  soldiers  were  searching  for  her  everywhere,  and  any 
moment  might  bring  them  upon  her.  She  therefore  decided 
upon  a  plan  of  action  which,  however  audacious  it  may  appear, 
was  really  the  wisest   she   could   have   adopted :    to  seek    an 


330  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

asylum  in  the  very  midst  of  her  enemies — in  Nantes  itself. 
Once  there,  she  told  herself,  she  would  be  in  comparative 
security,  for  a  town  which  was  swarming  with  police  and 
soldiers,  and  the  population  of  which  was  in  great  part  hostile 
to  her  cause,  was  the  very  last  place  where  the  Government 
would  think  of  seeking  her. 

She  consulted  with  Mile,  de  Kersabiec  as  to  the  best  way  of 
entering  Nantes,  and  decided  to  go  thither  on  the  following 
Saturday  (June  9),  disguised  as  a  peasant-woman.  Saturday 
was  the  market-day  at  Nantes,  and,  amid  the  crowd  of  peasant- 
women  who  would  be  entering  the  town  at  the  same  time,  there 
would  be  very  little  chance  of  her  being  recognised.  Accord- 
ingly, at  dawn  on  the  day  in  question,  she  set  off,  accompanied 
by  Eulalie  de  Kersabiec,  similarly  disguised,  and  two  genuine 
peasants,  Mariette  Dore  and  Francoise  Pouvreau. 

In  order  that  her  disguise  might  be  as  complete  as  possible, 
Madame  had  discarded  her  boots  for  the  clumsy  shoes  and 
coarse  worsted  stockings  worn  by  the  women  of  the  country ; 
but  when  she  had  been  walking  for  about  an  hour — it  was  five 
leagues  to  Nantes — her  feet  became  so  sore  that  she  could  go 
no  farther.  She  therefore  seated  herself  upon  a  bank,  took  off 
her  shoes  and  stockings,  thrust  them  into  the  huge  pockets  of 
her  dress,  and  continued  her  journey  barefoot.  But,  before  she 
had  gone  very  far,  the  thought  occurred  to  her  that  her  feet, 
and  that  part  of  her  leg  which  her  short  skirt  revealed,  were 
much  too  white  for  those  of  a  peasant,  and  might  very  likely 
betray  her.  The  application  of  a  few  handfuls  of  earth  from 
an  adjoining  field  served  to  remedy  this  defect,  and  just  outside 
Nantes  she  resumed  her  shoes  and  stockings. 

Madame  passed  safely  through  the  custom-house,  though 
not  without  occasioning  her  companions  a  moment  of  alarm. 
In  pushing  forward  her  basket  to  be  examined,  she  revealed 
a  slender  white  arm,  which  was  certainly  not  in  keeping  with 
the  character  which  she  had  assumed.  Fortunately,  the  douanier 
was  too  busy  to  remark  upon  it. 

The  two  peasants  now  took  leave  of  the  ladies,  who  con- 
tinued their  way  alone.  They  had  seated  themselves  for  a 
moment  on  the  Pont  de  la  Madeleine,  opposite  the  Bouffai, 
when  Madame  felt  a  hand  upon  her  shoulder.  She  started  up, 
in  great  consternation,  to  find  herself  confronted  by  an  old 
country-woman,  who,  having  deposited    a   big   basket   full   of 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  331 

apples  on  the  ground,  was  vainly  endeavouring  to  replace  it 
on  her  head.  "  My  good  girls,"  said  she,  "  help  me  to  replace 
my  basket,  and  I  will  give  each  of  you  an  apple  for  your 
trouble." 

Madame  immediately  seized  one  handle  of  the  basket,  made 
a  sign  to  her  companion  to  take  the  other,  and,  not  without 
difficulty,  for  it  was  exceedingly  heavy,  they  succeeded  in 
poising  it  on  its  owner's  head.  The  old  woman  thanked  them, 
and  was  moving  away,  when  the  princess  caught  her  arm,  and 
exclaimed  :  "  Why,  mother,  you  are  forgetting  our  apples ! " 
The  apples  were  duly  handed  over,  and  Madame  was  munching 
hers  with  an  appetite  sharpened  by  her  long  walk,  when  her 
eyes  fell  upon  a  placard  on  the  opposite  wall,  headed  by  these 
three  words  in  large  letters  : 

"STATE   OF   SIEGE" 

She  crossed  the  road  to  read  it,  and  found  that  it  was  a 
royal  Ordinance  proclaiming  martial  law  throughout  the  four 
departments  of  la  Vendee,  Maine-et-Loire,  Deux-Sevres,  and 
Loire-Inferieure,  and  offering  a  large  reward  for  any  information 
which  might  lead  to  the  apprehension  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
of  whom  the  following  description  was  appended  : 

"Duchesse  de  Berry,  35  years;  height,  5  feet  2  inches; 
rather  slender  figure ;  blonde  hair  and  eyebrows ;  clear  blue 
eyes,  with  a  slight  squint ;  ordinary  nose ;  medium-sized 
mouth  ;  round  chin  ;  round  face  ;  pale  complexion." 

Mile,  de  Kersabiec  entreated  her  not  to  linger  thus,  for  a 
number  of  people  were  already  gathered  round  the  placard  ; 
but  she  coolly  replied  that  the  document  concerned  her  too 
nearly  for  her  not  to  make  herself  acquainted  with  its  contents. 
Just  as  she  had  finished  reading  it  and  was  turning  away,  a 
detachment  of  infantry  came  marching  by,  and  she  recognised 
in  the  officer  who  commanded  it  one  who  had  formerly  held  a 
commission  in  the  Royal  Guard,  and  whom  she  had  often  seen 
on  duty  at  the  Tuileries.  The  recognition  seems  to  have 
been  mutual,  for  the  officer  looked  at  the  princess  very  hard 
indeed.  However,  he  made  no  sign,  and  passed  on  with  his 
men ; l   while  Madame  and    her  companion  did    likewise,  and, 

1  Madame  afterwards  declared  that  she  felt  sure  that  this  officer  had  recognised 


332  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

a  few  minutes  later,  arrived  safely  at  the  Kersabiecs'  house,  in 
the  Place  Saint-Pierre,  where  they  found  Eulalie's  elder  sister, 
Stylite  de  Kersabiec,  and  Charette  anxiously  awaiting  them, 
and  where  they  were  soon  afterwards  joined  by  Mesnard  and 
Brissac,  who  had  made  their  way  into  the  town  disguised  as 
farmers. 

her,  but  that  he  was  too  chivalrous  to  betray  a  woman,  adding  that,  if  ever  the 
Bourbons  were  restored,  "he  should  see  that  Caroline  of  France  had  not  forgotten 
the  debts  of  Caroline  of  la  Vendue." 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  leaves  the  Kersabiecs',  and  takes  refuge  at  the  house  of  the 
Miles,  du  Guigny  in  the  Rue  Haute-du-Chateau — Her  apartments  are  two  attics,  one 
of  which  contains  a  mysterious  hiding-place  constructed  during  the  Terror — Pre- 
cautions adopted  to  guard  against  surprise — Charette  urges  the  princess  to  allow  him 
to  conduct  her  from  France,  but  she  refuses — Explanation  of  her  resolve  to  remain 
in  France — Her  ceaseless  correspondence  with  the  Legitimist  leaders  in  France  and 
her  agents  at  foreign  Courts — Futile  efforts  of  the  Government  to  ascertain  her 
whereabouts — Thiers  becomes  Minister  of  the  Interior,  and  determines  to  make  the 
capture  of  Madame  his  personal  affair — He  receives  an  unsigned  letter  offering  to 
impart  to  him  important  information  in  regard  to  an  affair  of  State — Meeting  between 
the  M.  aster  and  the  writer  in  the  Champs-Elysees — Hyacinthe  Simon  Deutz — His 
strange  career — He  is  recommended  to  Madame  by  Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  and  is  sent 
by  her  on  a  mission  to  Portugal — His  determination  to  betray  his  employer — A 
shameful  compact — Deutz  at  Nantes — His  first  interview  with  Madame  leads  to  no 
result — He  solicits  a  second  audience,  which,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  her  friends, 
the  princess  accords — Soldiers  are  perceived  approaching  the  house,  and  Madame, 
Mesnard,  Guibourg,  and  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  take  refuge  in  the  hiding-place — A 
terrible  night — The  princess  and  her  friends  are  obliged  to  surrender  to  avoid  being 
burned  alive — They  are  conducted  to  the  Chateau  of  Nantes. 

THE  Duchesse  de  Berry  only  remained  with  the 
Kersabiecs  three  days,  as  their  Royalist  sympathies 
were  too  well  known  for  their  house  to  be  free  from 
the  danger  of  a  domiciliary  visit,  and  she  therefore  found 
another  asylum  with  two  maiden  ladies,  Marie  Louise  and 
Pauline  du  Guigny,  members  of  an  old  Breton  family,  who, 
while  equally  devoted  to  her  cause,  had  never  done  anything  to 
arouse  the  suspicion  of  the  authorities,  and  were  respected  by 
all  parties  for  their  piety  and  good  works.  Their  house,  which 
was  to  become  so  celebrated,  was  situated  in  the  Rue  Haute-du- 
Chateau  (No.  3),  in  the  highest  part  of  the  town.  It  was  a 
modest  three-storied  dwelling,  the  rooms  on  the  third  floor 
being  merely  attics.  Two  of  these  attics  were  prepared  for 
Madame,  and  the  reason  for  their  selection  was  as  follows : — 

Behind  the  open  fire-place  of  the  inner  room,  which  was 
placed  in  an  angle  of  the  apartment,  was  a  mysterious  hiding- 
place,  access  to  which  was  obtained  by  pressing  a  spring  in  the 

333 


334  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

iron  plate  which  formed  the  back  of  the  chimney-place.  This 
hiding-place,  which  had  been  constructed  during  the  Terror, 
and  had  doubtless  on  several  occasions  given  shelter  to  pro- 
scribed Royalists  in  the  days  when  the  infamous  Carrier  was 
deluging  Nantes  with  blood,  was  very  small;  "about  18  inches 
wide  at  one  of  the  extremities,  and  8  to  10  inches  at  the  other, 
and  from  3  feet  to  3  feet  6  inches  long."  The  height  di- 
minished also  towards  the  narrower  extremity,  in  such  a  way 
as  scarcely  to  permit  a  man  to  stand  upright,  even  by  passing 
his  head  between  the  rafters." l  However,  at  a  pinch,  it  could 
give  shelter  to  four  persons. 

Mesnard  and  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  had  accompanied  Madame 
to  the  Rue  Haute-du-Chateau,  and  the  latter  served  her  as 
femvie  de  chambre.  For  breakfast  and  dinner,  the  princess 
descended  to  the  second  floor,  and  during  meals  one  of  the  two 
maidservants  kept  by  the  Miles,  du  Guigny,  both  of  whom 
were  devoted  to  their  mistresses  and  to  their  royal  guest,  was 
always  on  guard  below.  If  she  caught  sight  of  any  soldiers  or 
gendarmes  approaching  the  house,  she  immediately  rang  a  bell 
which  communicated  with  the  second  story,  and  the  princess 
returned  in  all  haste  to  her  attic. 

From  the  laborious  and  active  life  which  Madame  had  led 
since  her  return  to  France  she  passed  on  a  sudden  to  one  of 
the  most  complete  inactivity.  After  the  hardships  and  perils 
through  which  she  had  passed,  the  rest  and  comparative 
security  which  she  now  enjoyed  were  at  first  welcome  enough, 
but,  before  long,  the  monotony  of  her  existence,  and,  above  all, 
the  impossibility  of  obtaining  any  outdoor  exercise,  became 
almost  unendurable,  and  there  must  have  been  moments  when 
she  was  tempted  to  wish  that  she  was  still  a  fugitive  in  the 
Bocage. 

Charette,  who  several  times  visited  the  house  in  disguise, 
urged  her  to  allow  him  to  arrange  for  her  escape  by  sea, 
representing  that  she  could  do  no  good  by  remaining  in  France, 
and  that  her  return  to  Italy  or  Scotland  would  be  a  powerful 
inducement  to  the  Government  to  deal  leniently  with  those  of 
her  adherents  who  had  fallen  into  its  hands.  But  nothing 
would  induce  the  princess  to  budge.  Notwithstanding  the  total 
failure  of  the  Royalist  rising  in  the  West,  and  the  suppression 

1  Achille  Guibourg,  Relation  fidik  et  ditaillie  de  Parrestation  de  S.A.R.  Madame, 
Duchesse  de  Berry  (Nantes,  1832). 


A    PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  335 

of  the  infinitely  more  formidable  Republican  insurrection  in  the 
capital,  which  had  broken  out  almost  simultaneously,  she  was 
convinced  that  the  July  Monarchy  was  doomed  to  an  early 
demise,  and  that,  in  consequence,  her  presence  in  France  was  of 
the  most  vital  importance  to  the  success  of  the  Legitimist  cause. 

It  was  on  the  Belgian  imbroglio  that  Madame  based  her 
hopes.  The  Treaty  of  Venice  had  united  Holland  and  Belgium 
into  a  single  kingdom  under  William  I.,  who  had  previously 
been  Stadtholder  of  Holland.  But  the  differences  which  had 
divided  the  Netherlands  into  two  halves  in  the  sixteenth 
century  had  by  no  means  been  removed  by  the  lapse  of  three 
hundred  years,  and  the  Belgians  had  always  bitterly  resented 
what  they,  with  reason,  regarded  as  an  altogether  one-sided 
arrangement.  In  August  1830,  encouraged  by  the  example  of 
the  July  Revolution  in  France,  they  rose  against  the  Dutch, 
expelled  them  from  all  the  fortresses  with  the  exception  of 
Antwerp,  Maestricht,  and  the  citadel  of  Ghent,  and  proclaimed 
the  independence  of  their  country.  William  I.  appealed  for  aid 
to  the  five  Powers,  but  the  sympathies  of  England  and  France 
were  with  the  Belgians,  while  the  members  of  the  Holy 
Alliance  were  too  much  engaged  elsewhere  to  favour  coercive 
measures.  A  conference  was,  therefore,  held  in  London,  which, 
after  imposing  an  armistice  on  the  belligerents,  proceeded  to 
issue  two  protocols,  the  first  of  which  was  repudiated  by  the 
Belgians,  and  the  second,  which  acknowledged  Leopold  of 
Saxe-Coburg,  the  widower  of  the  English  Princess  Charlotte, 
as  King  of  the  Belgians,  by  William  I.  In  August  1831,  the 
latter  suddenly  broke  the  armistice,  invaded  Belgium,  and  was 
carrying  all  before  him,  when  an  English  fleet  and  a  French 
army  intervened  and  compelled  the  Dutch  to  retire  and 
conclude  an  armistice.  The  London  conference  then  drew  up 
a  third  protocol,  the  terms  of  which  were  more  favourable  to 
William  I.  Nevertheless,  that  monarch  obstinately  refused  to 
give  way,  and  it  was  obvious  that  nothing  but  force  would 
induce  him  to  do  so. 

Now,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  always  held  that  the 
recognition  of  Louis-Philippe  by  the  Eastern  Powers  had  been 
merely  a  precautionary  measure,  forced  upon  them  by  the 
necessity  of  having  their  hands  free  to  deal  with  the  insurrec- 
tionary movements  in  Poland  and  Italy  ;  and  she  believed  that, 
now  that   these   had   been    suppressed,  they  would    seize   the 


336  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

pretext  of  a  renewed  French  intervention  in  the  Belgian  im- 
broglio to  invade  France.  She  did  not  desire,  as  we  have  shown, 
to  see  France  invaded,  but  she  did  desire  to  see  a  threat  of 
invasion,  which  would  cause  the  French  Government  to  mass 
the  bulk  of  its  troops  upon  the  frontier,  and  thus  afford  the 
Legitimists  in  France  an  opportunity  for  a  successful  rising, 
of  which,  she  hoped,  they  would  not  be  slow  to  avail  themselves. 
Even  if  the  Eastern  Powers  refused  to  move,  she  believed  that 
Sardinia  and  Spain  might  be  induced  to  make  armed  demon- 
strations on  the  side  of  the  Alps  and  the  Pyrenees ;  and  that 
these,  in  conjunction  with  a  fresh  invasion  of  Belgium  by  the 
Dutch,  would  produce  the  same  effect.1 

The  princess  had  agents  at  nearly  every  Court  in  Europe ; 
at  St.  Petersburg,  at  Vienna,  at  Madrid,  at  Lisbon,  at  Turin, 
and,  in  particular,  at  The  Hague,  where  the  Count  Lucchesi- 
Palli,  now  Neapolitan  Minister,  was  exceptionally  well  placed 
to  aid  her.  With  these  agents,  and  with  the  Royalist  leaders 
in  different  parts  of  France,  she  maintained  a  ceaseless 
correspondence,  and  during  her  residence  at  Nantes  she  is  said 
to  have  despatched  over  nine  hundred  letters,  nearly  all  written 
with  her  own  hand.  She  wrote  in  white  ink  and  in  cipher, 
which  necessitated  so  great  a  strain  to  her  eyes  that  sometimes 
they  "  seemed  ready  to  burst  from  their  sockets." 2 

Meanwhile,  the  French  Government  was  making  every 
effort  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  the  elusive  princess,  but 
all  to  no  purpose.  The  police  had,  it  is  true,  intercepted 
and  deciphered  several  despatches  between  Madame  and  her 
partisans,  from  which  they  learned  that  at  some  time  or  other  she 
had  been  at  Nantes,  but  without  ascertaining  what  house  had 
served  her  as  a  refuge,  or  whether  she  was  still  in  hiding  there. 

At  the  beginning  of  October,  a  new  Ministry  came  into 
office,  with  Thiers  as  Minister  of  the  Interior.  The  cause  of 
Legitimacy  had  no  more  determined  enemy  than  this  awk- 
ward, near-sighted  little  man,  who,  by  sheer  intellect  and  energy, 
was  to  rise  to  the  highest  position  in  the  State.  It  was  he 
who  had  organised  the  protest  of  the  journalists  against  the 
Ordinances  which  had  excited  the  populace  to  rise  in  arms; 
it  was  he  who  had  been  the  first  to  offer  the  Crown  to  Louis- 
Philippe,  and  it  was  he  who  had  overcome  the  last  scruples  of 
that  prince  and  persuaded  him  to  accept  it.     Thiers  decided 

1  Thirria.  2  General  Dermoncourt,  la  Vendee  et  Madame. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  337 

that  it  was  matter  of  urgent  importance  that  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry  should  be  laid  by  the  heels  without  delay.  So  long  as 
she  remained  at  large,  the  Government  could  not  feel  secure 
against  another  Legitimist  rising,  and,  besides,  her  arrest  and 
imprisonment  were  necessary  to  placate  the  Republican  party, 
who  had  accused  the  late  Ministers  of  knowing  where  Madame 
was  and  of  being  unwilling  to  have  her  arrested. 

Notwithstanding  the  name  of  his  portfolio,  Thiers  was  less 
Minister  of  the  Interior  than  Minister  of  Police,  for  the  adminis- 
trative duties  had  been  transferred  from  his  department  to  that 
of  Commerce  and  Public  Works.  He  was  therefore  able  to 
devote  himself  exclusively  to  the  supervision  of  the  police ;  and 
he  determined  to  make  this  question  his  personal  affair,  to 
take  none  of  his  colleagues  into  his  confidence,  and  to  employ 
every  possible  means  to  discover  the  retreat  of  the  princess. 

A  few  days  after  Thiers  had  assumed  his  new  duties,  he 
received  an  unsigned  letter,  the  writer  of  which  offered  to  impart 
to  him  some  important  information  in  regard  to  an  affair  of 
State,  if  the  Minister  would  come,  alone,  that  night  to  a  certain 
spot  in  the  Champs-Elysees.  Thiers  kept  the  appointment,  but 
since  personal  courage  was  not  his  strong  point — he  had  kept 
carefully  out  of  the  way  all  through  the  fighting  on  the  three 
days  of  July — and  he  feared  an  ambush,  he  came  accompanied 
by  several  agents.  No  one  addressed  him,  and,  after  waiting 
some  time,  he  returned  home. 

Next  morning,  however,  he  received  a  second  letter  from  the 
same  person.     It  was  as  follows : 

11 1  told  you  to  come  alone ;  you  came  accompanied ;  and 
I  did  not  address  you.  If  you  wish  to  know  what  I  have  to 
tell  you,  return  this  evening,  and  come  alone." 

At  the  hour  mentioned,  the  Minister  returned  to  the  rendez- 
vous, this  time  alone.  He  had  not,  however,  neglected  to  take 
every  precaution  for  the  protection  of  his  precious  person.  In 
each  pocket  of  his  coat  he  carried  a  pistol,  and  several  policemen 
in  plain  clothes  had  preceded  him,  and  concealed  themselves  in 
the  vicinity,  ready  to  rush  to  his  assistance  at  the  first  alarm. 

Presently,  a  man  emerged  from  the  shadow  of  the  trees  and 

approached  the  Minister,  who  inquired  if  he  were  the  writer  of 

the  anonymous  letters.     The  stranger  replied  in  the  affirmative, 

and  said  that  he  was  prepared  to  render  a  great  service  to  the 

Government,  by  giving  Monsieur  le  Ministre  the  means  to  seize 

z 


338  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

the  person  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry.  He  added  that  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  proceed  with  the  utmost  caution,  since, 
as  he  had  been  initiated  into  all  the  secrets  of  the  Legitimist 
party,  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  Paris  kept  him  under  close 
surveillance,  and,  if  it  were  even  suspected  that  he  was  in 
communication  with  a  member  of  the  Government,  all  would  be 
useless.  Thiers  thereupon  suggested  that  they  should  continue 
their  conversation  at  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior,  to  which  the 
other  consented,  on  the  understanding  that  he  should  be 
admitted  by  a  private  door. 

Thiers  then  returned  to  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  where  the 
stranger  presently  rejoined  him.  He  was  a  man  of  thirty  years 
of  age,  and  of  somewhat  unprepossessing  appearance,  a  German 
Jew,  converted  to  Catholicism,  Hyacinthe  Simon  Deutz  by 
name.  Born,  in  1802,  at  Cologne,  of  very  respectable  parents, 
Deutz  had  come  when  a  boy  to  Paris,  where  his  father  had  just 
been  appointed  rabbi.  He  himself,  a  few  years  later,  entered 
Didot's  printing-house,  and  appears  to  have  been  employed 
there  for  some  time.  In  his  youth,  he  was  a  very  strict  Jew 
indeed,  and  when  his  brother-in-law,  a  M.  Drach,  abandoned 
the  faith  of  his  fathers  for  Catholicism,  he  was  so  enraged  as  to 
threaten  him  with  personal  violence.  Not  long  after  this, 
however,  his  attitude  completely  changed,  and  he  announced 
his  intention  of  entering  the  Catholic  fold  also.  Mgr.  de 
Quelen,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  to  whom  he  addressed  himself, 
thinking  that  his  conversion  might  be  more  promptly  and  more 
efficaciously  accomplished  at  Rome,  advised  him  to  proceed 
thither;  and  early  in  1828  Deutz  set  out  for  Italy,  furnished 
with  the  warmest  recommendations  from  the  archbishop  to  the 
Cardinal  Capellari,  then  Prefect  of  the  Propaganda,  and  after- 
wards Pope,  under  the  name  of  Gregory  XVI. 

On  his  arrival  in  Rome,  a  pension  of  twenty-five  piastres  a 
month  was  allotted  him  from  the  funds  of  the  Propaganda,  and 
Leo  XII.  charged  a  distinguished  ecclesiastic  to  instruct  him  in 
the  Catholic  faith.  All  who  came  in  contact  with  the  neophyte 
appear  to  have  been  much  edified  by  his  piety,  and  when  he 
was  received  into  the  Church,  he  had  the  Baron  Mortier,  a 
Secretary  of  the  French  Embassy,  for  godfather,  and  an  Italian 
princess  for  godmother.  Shortly  afterwards,  he  was  presented 
to  the  Holy  Father,  who  received  him  with  great  kindness  and 
arranged  for  him  to  enter  the  Convent  of  the  Holy  Apostles. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  339 

Here  he  remained  for  two  years,  and  was  then  despatched  on 
a  mission  to  the  Jews  of  the  United  States,  though  we  are  not 
told  whether  he  was  successful  in  persuading  any  of  them  to 
follow  his  example.  In  the  autumn  of  183 1,  he  returned  to 
Europe,  landed  in  England,  and  succeeded  in  insinuating  him- 
self into  the  confidence  of  the  French  Legitimists  whom  he 
found  there.  For  there  can  be  no  manner  of  doubt  that  M. 
Hyacinthe  Simon  Deutz  was  an  amazingly  plausible  person  ; 
and  the  exiles  seem  to  have  entertained  as  little  suspicion  of 
the  sincerity  of  his  political  professions  as  did  the  ecclesiastics 
at  Rome  in  regard  to  his  religious  convictions. 

After  a  short  stay  in  England,  he  set  out  for  Italy,  in  charge 
of  the  two  daughters  of  the  Marechal  de  Bourmont,  whom  he 
escorted  as  far  as  Genoa,  where  he  left  them  with  their  mother, 
and  proceeded  to  Rome.  Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  as  Cardinal 
Capellari  had  now  become,  received  him  very  cordially,  and 
when  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  visited  Rome  at  the  beginning  of 
December  1831,  on  her  way  from  Naples  to  Massa,  learning 
that  his protige  desired  to  enter  her  service,  he  recommended  him 
to  her  as  a  person  in  whom  she  might  place  implicit  reliance. 
The  princess  intimated  her  willingness  to  employ  him,  and 
towards  the  end  of  the  following  March  Deutz  proceeded  to 
Massa. 

Madame^  like  every  one  else  with  whom  this  specious  scoun- 
drel seems  to  have  come  in  contact,  was  easily  persuaded  of  his 
sincerity ;  and,  having  provided  him  with  ample  funds,  for  her 
kind  heart  had  been  touched  by  his  tale  of  poverty,  sent  him 
to  Portugal,  on  a  mission  to  Dom  Miguel. 

There  can  be  very  little  doubt  that  Deutz  was  already 
meditating  treason  to  his  employer,  and  that  he  had  entered 
Madame 's  service  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  betray  the  plans 
of  the  Legitimists  to  the  Government  of  Louis-Philippe. 
Indeed,  he  confesses  as  much  in  an  apology  for  his  conduct 
which  he  published  in  1835,  though  he  takes  up  a  high  moral 
ground  and  declares  that  he  was  actuated  by  the  loftiest 
motives.  "  France  was  my  love,"  he  writes,  "  Louis-Philippe  my 
Utopia.  I  resolved  to  sacrifice  myself  for  the  first,  in  strengthen- 
ing as  far  as  was  in  my  power  the  throne  of  the  second.  I 
was  under  no  illusion  as  to  the  consequences  of  my  action,  but 
I  was  prepared  to  die  a  martyr  for  the  cause  "  ;  and  so  forth.1 

1  Deutz,  Arrestation  de  Madame. 


340  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Any  way,  as  soon  as  Deutz  learned  of  the  failure  of  the  la 
Vendee  insurrection  and  the  unsuccessful  efforts  of  the  Govern- 
ment to  discover  the  hiding-place  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  he 
wrote  from  Lisbon  to  Montalivet,  then  Minister  of  the  Interior, 
offering  his  services.  As  he  received  no  reply,  at  the  beginning 
of  October  he  came  to  Paris,  and  had  an  interview  with  the 
Minister,  who  declared  that  he  had  never  received  any  letter 
from  him.  Whether  this  was  the  truth,  and  whether,  if  he 
had  remained  in  office,  Montalivet  would  have  consented  to 
sully  his  hands  with  this  very  dirty  business,  is  difficult  to  say. 
But,  a  few  days  later,  he  was  replaced  by  Thiers,  and  "  it  was 
with  this  honourable  Minister,"  writes  Deutz,  "that  I  really 
treated  of  the  affair  of  Nantes." 

Deutz  told  Thiers  that  Madame  was  concealed  somewhere 
in  Nantes,  though  he  did  not  know  at  present  her  actual  hiding- 
place.  He  did  not,  however,  anticipate  the  least  difficulty  in 
discovering  that,  as  he  was  entrusted  with  letters  to  deliver  to 
her.  And  at  a  subsequent  interview  between  them,  which  took 
place  at  a  house  in  the  Rue  Richepense,  and  at  which  the 
commissary  of  police  Joly  was  present,  he  showed  the  Minister 
a  number  of  letters  written  in  white  ink,  which  had  been 
confided  to  him  by  Jauge,  the  banker  of  the  Legitimists  in 
Paris.1 

Thiers  was  satisfied  that  the  Jew  was  really  in  a  position  to 
perform  what  he  promised,  and  he  decided  to  send  him  to 
Nantes,  accompanied  by  Joly  and  twelve  of  his  most  experienced 
men,  who  were  charged  to  keep  a  vigilant  watch  on  all  his 
movements,  for  he  was  not  without  suspicion  that  Deutz  might 
be  deceiving  him.  "You  have  letters,"  said  he,  "which  are  a 
sure  means  of  reaching  the  duchess.  You  will  carry  them  to 
her,  and  my  agents  will  follow  you.  Here,  for  the  rest,  are  my 
conditions  :  If  you  deliver  up  the  princess,  your  fortune  is  made  ; 
and  you  shall  receive  500,000  francs.  In  the  contrary  event, 
you  are  in  our  hands,  and  you  are  an  agent  of  the  conspiracy  ; 
and  you  will  learn  to  your  cost  that  people  do  not  jest  with 
impunity  with  the  Government  in  so  grave  a  matter." 

Deutz  and  Joly  arrived  at  Nantes  on  October  22,  the  latter 

bringing  with  him  orders  from  Thiers  which   placed  both  the 

civil  and  military  authorities  of  the  department  of  the  Loire- 

Inferieure  at  his  disposal.     With  the  exception  of  the  prefect 

1  MS.  of  Joly,  published  by  M.  Charles  Nauroy,  le  Curieux,  January  1885. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  341 

of  the  department,  Maurice  Duval,  no  one,  however,  was  admitted 
to  the  secret. 

Deutz,  who  installed  himself  at  the  Hotel  de  France,  under 
the  name  of  the  Baron  Hyacinthe  de  Gonzague,  lost  no  time  in 
calling  upon  Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  sister  of  the  count  of 
that  name  and  superior  of  the  Convent  de  la  Visitation,  who 
was  one  of  the  most  fervent  Legitimists  in  Nantes,  and  begged 
her  to  obtain  for  him  an  audience  of  Madame,  as  he  desired 
to  inform  her  of  the  result  of  an  important  mission  with  which 
she  had  charged  him.  Madame  de  la  Ferronays,  who  had 
never  set  eyes  on  her  visitor  before,  and  whose  convent  had 
lately  been  subjected  to  a  domiciliary  visit,  at  first  protested 
complete  ignorance  of  Madame 's  whereabouts  ;  but  eventually 
she  communicated  with  the  princess,  who  requested  her  to  inform 
Deutz  that  she  would  receive  him  at  half-past  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening  of  October  31,  at  a  house  to  which  she  would  send 
a  gentleman  to  conduct  him. 

On  the  evening  in  question,  M.  du  Guigny,  a  brother  of  the 
two  ladies  with  whom  Madame  had  taken  refuge,  presented  him- 
self at  the  Hotel  de  France,  inquired  for  the  Baron  de  Gonzague, 
and,  on  that  pseudo-nobleman  making  his  appearance,  showed 
him  the  half  of  a  cut  card  and  asked  him  to  produce  the  corre- 
sponding half,  which  Madame  had  given  him  on  his  departure 
for  Portugal.  Deutz  did  so,  and  Du  Guigny,  satisfied  as  to  his 
identity,  thereupon  conducted  him  to  the  Rue  Haute-du-Chateau. 

As  they  were  starting,  Deutz  inquired  at  what  house  he  was 
to  be  received,  to  which  his  companion  replied  that  it  was  "  one 
to  which  Madame  would  only  come  to  give  him  an  audience, 
and  which  she  would  leave  immediately  afterwards." 

Four  of  Joly's  men,  whom  Deutz  had  warned  to  be  in 
readiness,  were  waiting  outside  the  Hotel  de  France.  They 
followed  the  traitor  and  Du  Guigny,  but  at  some  little  distance, 
walking  in  the  shadow  of  the  houses.  On  arriving  at  the  house, 
Deutz  found  the  Miles,  du  Guigny,  Stylite  de  Kersabiec,  and 
Guibourg1  awaiting  him.  He  inquired  if  Madame  had  arrived, 
and  they  told  him  that  they  believed  that  she  had,  as  they  had 
heard  a  sound  in  the  next  room.     Then  Mesnard  entered,  and, 

1  Guibourg  had  been  arrested  after  the  discovery  of  the  incriminating  docu- 
ments at  la  Chasliere,  and  lodged  in  the  prison  at  Nantes.  At  the  beginning  of 
August,  however,  he  contrived  to  effect  his  escape,  and,  shortly  before  this,  had 
taken  refuge  with  the  Du  Guignys. 


342  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

a  moment  later,  the  princess  herself  appeared  from  behind  a 
partition,  exclaiming  :  "  Here  I  am,  my  dear  Deutz ! " 

"  At  these  words,  pronounced  so  kindly,"  writes  the  traitor, 
"  I  began  to  tremble  ;  a  mist  rose  before  my  eyes,  and  I  felt  ill. 
Then,  with  that  kindness  which  was  natural  to  her,  Madame 
herself  pushed  forward  a  chair,  adding :  '  Recover  thyself,  my 
friend.'"1 

As  it  had  not  been  thought  advisable  to  allow  any  one  but 
a  few  of  her  most  trusted  adherents  to  know  the  house  in  which 
she  was  concealed,  the  princess  was  in  walking  costume,  and  her 
hat,  her  shawl,  and  her  shoes  had  been  sprinkled  with  dust,  as  if 
she  had  just  come  some  distance.2  She  and  Deutz  had  a  long 
conversation  in  regard  to  the  latter's  mission  to  Portugal ;  and 
the  Jew,  to  lull  any  suspicion  which  she  might  entertain,  agreed 
to  set  out  on  a  mission  to  Madrid,  and  begged  the  princess  to 
name  him  her  plenipotentiary  and  to  confer  upon  him  the  title 
of  Baron  de  Gonzague,  which  he  had  already  assumed,  "  since 
titles  were  indispensable  at  foreign  Courts,  and  the  name  of  Deutz 
was  very  short  and  little  sonorous  for  a  man  who  had  to  fulfil  a 
mission  in  a  foreign  country."  During  the  interview,  which 
lasted  more  than  an  hour,  he  wept  copiously,  "the  better  to 
prove  to  Madame  his  zeal  and  also  his  great  desire  to  be  a  baron 
in  good  earnest !  "  3 

While  he  was  talking  to  Madame,  Deutz  had  been  expecting 
every  moment  to  hear  the  police  and  the  soldiers  thundering  at 
the  door  ;  but,  to  his  profound  astonishment,  their  conversation 
was  not  interrupted,  and  at  last  he  was  obliged  to  take  his  leave. 
On  his  return  to  the  Hotel  de  France,  he  learned  that  the  four 
agents  who  had  followed  him  and  Du  Guigny,  fearful  of  arousing 
the  suspicions  of  the  latter,  had  kept  so  far  behind  that  eventu- 
ally they  had  lost  trace  of  the  pair  altogether. 

The  chagrin  of  Joly  and  the  prefect  Duval  at  this  fiasco  was 
intense ;  for  Deutz  could  not  be  sure  of  identifying  the  house  to 
which  he  had  been  taken,  and,  even  if  he  had  been  able  to  do  so, 
it  was  uncertain  whether  Madame  was  concealed  there ;  while 
they  considered  it  extremely  improbable  that  he  would  succeed 
in  obtaining  another  interview  with  the  princess. 

However,  Deutz  refused  to  despair  of  success.  On  the  plea 
that  he  had  forgotten  several  very  important  matters  which  he 
had  intended  to  discuss  with  the  princess,  and  had  some  letters 

1  Arrestalion  de  Madame.  2  Mesnard.  3  Mesnard. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  343 

to  deliver  to  her,  he  solicited  another  audience.  Mesnard  and 
Guibourg,  upon  whom  the  Jew  had  made  a  far  from  favourable 
impression,  strongly  advised  the  princess  not  to  accord  it.  But 
Madame,  who  was  the  soul  of  honour  herself,  utterly  refused  to 
believe  that  he  was  capable  of  such  infamy  as  her  friends  sug- 
gested. "  Why ! "  cried  she,  in  astonishment.  "  He  was  recom- 
mended to  me  by  the  cardinals,  by  the  Pope  himself.  He  has 
served  me  very  well.  He  is  very  devoted  to  me  ! "  And,  when 
they  persisted,  she  closed  the  conversation  by  exclaiming  im- 
patiently :  "  I  have  as  much  confidence  in  him  as  in  you  your- 
selves ! "  And  so,  to  the  traitor's  exultation,  a  second  audience 
was  granted  him,  and  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of 
Wednesday,  November  6,  he  was  again  conducted  to  the  Rue 
Haut-du-Chateau.  This  time,  Joly  and  Duval  took  very  good 
care  that  there  should  be  no  chance  of  a  second  fiasco. 

On  being  introduced  into  the  room  where  Madame  was, 
Deutz  immediately  began  to  speak  of  the  intense  desire  which 
he  had  to  serve  her.  He  was  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  a 
letter,  which  the  princess  opened  and  handed  to  Mesnard.  It 
was  from  the  banker  Jauge,  and  written  in  white  ink.  Mesnard 
moistened  it  with  some  liquid  which  he  had  prepared,  and 
returned  it  to  the  duchess,  who  read  its  contents  aloud  : 

"  It  is  advisable  to  neglect  no  precaution,  since  we  are  warned 
that  Madame  will  be  betrayed  by  a  person  in  whom  she  has 
every  confidence." 

"  You  hear  that,  Deutz,"  said  she,  smiling  ;  "  perhaps  it  refers 
to  you."    And  Deutz  replied  in  the  same  tone  :  "  It  is  possible." 

Then  the  scoundrel,  not  content  with  the  money  which  he 
was  to  receive  as  the  price  of  his  treason,  made  an  attempt  to 
enrich  himself  at  the  expense  of  his  victim,  and  demanded  a 
large  sum  to  defray  the  cost  of  his  mission  to  Spain.  Madame, 
however,  replied  that  she  had  very  little  cash  with  her,  and  that 
he  must  be  content  with  twenty-five  louis  and  a  letter  of  credit 
on  a  banking-house. 

Soon  afterwards,  Deutz  left  the  house.  On  his  way  out,  he 
passed  the  door  of  the  dining-room  and  saw  a  table  laid  for 
eight  persons.  Evidently,  whether  Madame  lodged  in  this 
house  or  not,  she  intended  to  dine  there.  And  he  hurried  off  to 
inform  his  accomplices. 

At  half-past  five,  Madame  de  Charette  and  Mile.  Celeste 
de  Kersabiec,  a  younger  sister  of  Eulalie  and  Stylite,  whom 


344  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

Madame  had  invited  to  dinner,  arrived  ;  and,  while  waiting  for 
the  meal  to  be  served,  they  all  assembled  in  Pauline  du  Guigny's 
room  on  the  second  floor,  which  looked  on  to  the  street.  It  was 
a  beautiful  night,  and  the  moon,  shining  in  a  cloudless  sky, 
made  it  possible  to  distinguish  objects  at  a  considerable  distance. 
Suddenly  Guibourg,  who  was  standing  at  the  window,  perceived 
a  battalion  of  soldiers  advancing  towards  the  house.  "  Save 
yourself,  Madame  !  "  he  cried.  "  Save  yourself ! "  And  the 
princess,  followed  by  Mesnard,  Guibourg,  and  Stylite  de 
Kersabiec,  all  three  proscribed  like  herself,  rushed  up  to  her 
bedroom  on  the  floor  above,  where,  by  chance,  they  found  the 
plate  at  the  back  of  the  fire-place,  which  gave  admission  to  the 
hiding-place,  already  open. 

The  order  of  entering  and  leaving  it,  in  case  of  emergency, 
had  been  long  arranged.  As  it  would  have  been  impossible  for 
two  tall  men  to  make  their  way  in  the  last,  Madame  had  decided 
that  Mesnard  and  Guibourg  should  enter  first,  and  that  she  and 
Stylite  de  Kersabiec  should  follow.  This  arrangement  was 
adhered  to ;  Mesnard  threw  himself  flat  on  the  ground  and 
crawled  in  ;  Guibourg  followed  ;  then  came  Stylite  de  Kersabiec, 
and  Madame  brought  up  the  rear.  Mile,  de  Kersabiec  had 
entreated  the  princess  to  precede  her,  to  which  she  replied,  with 
her  usual  sang-froid,  that  "  in  good  strategy,  when  a  retreat 
took  place,  it  was  the  commanding  officer  who  marched  last." 
Scarcely  had  the  plate  closed  behind  her,  when  the  room  she 
had  just  quitted  was  filled  with  soldiers  and  police. 

The  other  occupants  of  the  house  behaved  with  admirable 
presence  of  mind.  Before  the  invaders  entered,  the  Miles,  du 
Guigny,  Madame  de  Charette,  and  Celeste  de  Kersabiec  had 
gone  into  the  dining-room  and  taken  their  seats  at  the  table, 
which  the  servants  hastily  rearranged  for  four  persons  only ; 
the  first  course  had  been  served,  and  they  were  all  eating  with 
apparent  appetite.  When  questioned,  they  emphatically  pro- 
tested that  there  was  no  one  in  the  house,  and  the  servants  con- 
firmed what  they  said.  Madame  de  Charette,  who  had  passed 
herself  off  as  a  Mile,  de  Kersabiec,  was  conducted,  with  her 
supposed  sister,  to  the  latter' s  house  ;  a  guard  was  posted  over 
the  Miles,  du  Guigny  and  their  femme  de  chambre,  Charlotte 
Moreau  ;  while  the  cook,  Marie  Bossy,  who  had  nobly  resisted 
an  attempt  to  bribe  her  to  betray  her  mistresses'  secrets,  was 
taken  to  the  chateau. 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  345 

Then  began  a  systematic  search  of  the  house  and  of  the  two 
adjoining  ones,  with  which  the  police  believed  that  there  might 
be  some  secret  means  of  communication.  Wardrobes  and 
cupboards  were  forced  open,  boards  and  walls  sounded,  and 
chimneys  explored.  Joly  mounted  to  the  room  where  Madame 
had  received  Deutz,  and  the  fugitives  heard  him  call  out :  "  Here 
is  the  audience  chamber  ! "  Then  they  knew  that  it  was  the 
Jew  who  had  betrayed  them. 

As  no  trace  of  the  princess  or  her  companions  could  be 
found,  architects  were  sent  for  and  questioned  as  to  the  likeli- 
hood of  the  house  containing  some  secret  hiding-place.  After 
examining  each  of  the  rooms  in  turn,  they  declared  that,  having 
regard  to  the  conformation  of  the  walls,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  house  to  contain  one  large  enough  to  shelter  even  a  single 
person,  and  particularly  so  in  the  attics.  Nevertheless,  the 
masons  whom  the  police  had  brought  with  them  were  ordered 
to  demolish  the  walls,  and  soon  the  proscribed  heard  the  sound 
of  the  picks  coming  nearer  and  nearer.  Just,  however,  when 
discovery  seemed  to  be  only  a  question  of  a  few  minutes,  orders 
were  given  to  suspend  further  operations  until  the  morning ; 
and  every  one  quitted  the  room,  with  the  exception  of  two 
gendarmes,  who  were  left  there  on  guard.  It  was  then  past 
midnight,  and  the  search  had  been  in  progress  for  nearly  seven 
hours. 

But  let  us  allow  one  of  the  captives — Guibourg — to  describe 
in  his  own  words  what  followed  : 

"  The  night  was  damp,  and  the  cold  penetrated  through  the 
roof.  To  remedy  this  inconvenience,  which  they  experienced 
also,  the  two  gendarmes  on  guard  in  the  room  began  to  light  a 
great  fire.  At  first,  it  benefited  six  persons,  but  soon  the  heat 
became  more  insupportable  than  the  cold.  The  plate  of  the 
fireplace  became  red-hot  on  both  sides,  and  more  than  one  of 
the  prisoners  still  bears  the  marks  which  were  made  by  the  least 
contact  with  that  fatal  door.  However,  the  day  was  still  far  off, 
and  one  did  not  foresee  the  end  of  this  frightful  situation.  The 
captives,  obliged  to  change  their  positions,  turned  with  incredible 
difficulty,  and  Madame  found  herself  in  front  of  the  plate.  Soon 
her  clothes  became  so  hot  that  the  hand  was  no  longer  able  to 
clasp  them.  .  .  . 

"Thus  the  night  passed  in  the  midst  of  tortures  that  a 
thousand  devices  scarcely  served  to  mitigate.     The  workmen 


346  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

did  not  await  the  return  of  the  light  to  recommence  their 
labours.  It  seemed  as  though  they  intended  to  pull  down  the 
Hotel  Duguigny  and  the  adjoining  houses.  The  walls  re- 
sounded beneath  their  blows,  and  one  did  not  know  whether, 
after  resisting  the  flames,  Madame  would  not  be  crushed  beneath 
the  stone.  .  .  . 

"  Meanwhile,  the  gendarmes  on  guard  had  ceased  to  keep  up 
the  fire  ;  gradually,  the  air  became  fresher,  and  the  plate  cooled. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  investigations  appeared  to  be  concentrat- 
ing around  the  hiding-place.  Returning  to  this  place  for  the 
twentieth  time,  they  broke  a  panel  and  examined  the  displaced 
slate,  which  allowed  a  little  air  to  pass  to  the  captives.  They 
sounded  the  wall  which  sheltered  them  again,  and  the  hiding- 
place  resounded  with  the  blows  of  the  hammers  which  were 
striking  the  wall  about  the  plate.  The  plaster  was  becoming 
loose,  the  hiding-place  was  almost  revealed,  when  the  workmen 
abandoned  this  spot  which  they  had  so  minutely  explored.  .  .  . 
The  workmen  left  the  house  a  second  time,  as  did  the  autho- 
rities. The  guards  were  withdrawn  to  the  rez-de-chaussee,  and 
the  third  floor  was  guarded  only  by  the  two  gendarmes  who 
had  remained  in  the  room  where  the  hiding-place  was. 

"  But  this  hope  was  not  of  long  duration.  The  gendarmes 
had  relighted  the  fire  ;  the  plate,  which  had  not  had  time  to 
cool,  became  burning  hot  a  second  time ;  the  cracked  wall  let 
in  the  smoke  ;  the  air  of  the  hiding-place  was  no  longer  breath- 
able ;  it  was  necessary  to  put  one's  mouth  against  the  slates  to 
exchange  a  breath  of  fire  for  a  breath  of  outside  air.  Nor  was 
this  all.  To  the  danger  of  being  asphyxiated  had  just  been 
joined  the  fear  of  being  burned  alive.  The  bottom  of  their 
garments  threatened  to  catch  fire  ;  already  this  accident  had 
happened  to  Madame 's  dress,  and  they  trembled  at  the  sight  of 
a  danger  so  imminent.  Hope  became  impossible,  and  was 
replaced  by  the  conviction  that  they  could  not  remain  an  hour 
longer  in  this  furnace  without  endangering  Madamds  life.  She 
recognised  it  also.  .  .  .  She  gave  orders  to  open  very  quietly 
the  door  of  the  hiding-place  ;  but  the  iron,  dilated  by  the  heat, 
resisted  the  efforts  of  Mile.  Stylite  de  Kersabiec,  and  only 
yielded  to  repeated  kicks  from  the  men. 

"  At  this  unexpected  noise,  the  astonished  gendarmes  cried 
out :  '  Who's  there  ? '  '  Prisoners  who  surrender  themselves,' 
replied  the  voices  of  the  women.     They  assisted  each  other  to 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  347 

emerge  from  the  hiding-place,  beginning  with  Mile.  Stylite  de 
Kersabiec.  '  I  am  the  Duchesse  de  Berry !  *  cried  the  princess, 
courageously,  rising  to  her  feet.  '  You  are  Frenchmen  and 
soldiers  ;  I  trust  myself  to  your  honour.'  "  * 

It  was  half-past  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.    They  had 
been  shut  up  for  sixteen  hours  ! 

The  two  gendarmes — both  former  soldiers  of  the  Royal 
Guards — were  so  touched  by  the  sight  of  the  princess,  whom 
they  had  often  seen  in  happier  days,  standing  before  them 
covered  with  dust  and  cinders,  that  they  made  no  effort  to 
detain  her,  and  allowed  her  to  pass  into  the  adjoining  room  ; 
and  possibly  she  might  have  succeeded  in  escaping  by  the  roofs, 
had  not  some  commissaries  of  police,  who  were  in  one  of  the 
rooms  on  the  second  floor,  attracted  by  the  noise  above,  mounted 
the  stairs  to  ascertain  what  was  going  on.  They  made  Madame 
enter  the  room  where  she  had  received  Deutz  the  previous 
evening,  and,  at  her  request,  sent  to  fetch  General  Dermon- 
court,  the  author  of  that  picturesque  but  somewhat  imaginative 
work,  la  Vendee  et  Madame?  The  general  arrived  and  saluted 
her  with  profound  respect.  "  General,"  said  she,  "  I  surrender 
to  you,  and  entrust  myself  to  your  loyalty."  "  Madame,"  was 
the  reply,  "your  Highness  is  under  the  protection  of  French 
honour."  "  I  have  nothing  with  which  to  reproach  myself," 
resumed  the  princess  ;  '*  I  have  fulfilled  the  duties  of  a  mother 
in  endeavouring  to  reconquer  the  heritage  of  my  son." 

Madame  then  asked  that  she  might  not  be  separated  from 
her  companions  in  misfortune,  and  Dermoncourt  promised  that, 
if  it  depended  upon  him,  her  request  should  be  granted.  His 
superior  officer,  the  Comte  Drouet  d'Erlon,  commanding  the 
military  division  of  the  district,  arrived  on  the  scene  a  few 
minutes  later,  readily  ratified  the  promise  that  had  been  given, 
and  assured  the  princess  that  any  request  that  she  might  make 
should  be  accorded,  if  it  were  in  his  power  to  do  so. 

Duval,  the  prefect,  then  entered  and  demanded  Madame's 
papers.  She  replied  that  they  were  in  a  white  portfolio  which 
she  had  left  in  the  hiding-place.  This,  together  with  a  bag  of 
money,  a  portable  press,  and  several  proclamations,  had  already 
been  seized  by  the  police. 

1  Relation  fidele  et  detailiee  de  t  attestation  de  S.A.R.  Madame,  Duchesse  de  Berry 
(Nantes,  1832). 

2  It  was  written  by  Dumas  pete,  from  materials  supplied  by  the  general. 


348  A   PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE 

Meanwhile,  the  news  of  the  capture  had  spread,  and  an 
immense  crowd  was  beginning  to  assemble  behind  the  cordon 
of  troops  drawn  up  around  the  house.  Fearing  a  popular 
movement,  the  authorities  decided  that  Madame  and  her  fellow- 
prisoners  must  be  conducted  at  once  to  the  chateau.  Dermon- 
court  accordingly  offered  his  arm  to  the  princess  ;  the  prefect 
escorted  Stylite  de  Kersabiec,  and,  followed  by  Guibourg  and 
Mesnard,  they  proceeded  through  a  double  line  of  soldiers  and 
National  Guards  to  the  chateau,  which  was  only  a  little  distance 
from  the  house. 

Here  Madame  was  installed  in  the  apartments  of  the 
governor,  who  had  gallantly  surrendered  them  to  his  august 
prisoner,  and  was  soon  doing  full  justice  to  a  very  excellent 
breakfast,  for  nothing  had  passed  her  lips  since  the  previous 
afternoon. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry,  Mesnard,  and  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  are  removed  from 
Nantes  and  conveyed  to  the  citadel  of  Blaye,  on  the  Gironde,  on  board  the  corvette 
Capricieuse — A  stormy  voyage — Arrival  at  Blaye,  where  Madame  is  installed  in  a 
house  which  had  formerly  served  as  the  governor's  residence — Consideration  shown 
by  the  authorities  for  her  material  comfort — Extraordinary  precautions  taken  to  guard 
against  any  possibility  of  escape — Her  daily  life — She  appears  resigned  to  her  fate, 
but  has  occasional  violent  outbursts  of  temper — Decision  of  the  Government  not  to 
bring  her  to  trial — Reason  for  this — Her  continued  detention  justified  to  the  Chamber 
on  the  ground  that  the  public  safety  requires  it — The  true  explanation. 

THE  Duchesse  de  Berry  only  remained  two  days  in  the 
ancient  residence  of  the  dukes  of  Brittany.  In  the 
middle  of  the  night  of  November  8-9,  she  was 
awakened  and  informed  that  orders  had  come  from  Paris  to 
conduct  her  to  the  citadel  of  Blaye,  on  the  Gironde,  and  that 
she  was  to  start  immediately.  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  and  Mesnard 
were  to  accompany  her,  but  not  Guibourg,  who,  to  the  great 
indignation  of  the  princess,  had  been  taken  back  to  the  prison 
whence  he  had  escaped  three  months  before. 

At  the  gate  of  the  chateau,  d'Erlon,  Duval,  the  mayor  of 
Nantes  Ferdinand  Favre,  and  the  deputy-mayor  Vallet,  were 
awaiting  them,  with  two  carriages.  The  captives  and  the 
authorities  took  their  seats,  and  were  driven  to  la  Fosse, 
where  they  embarked  on  a  steamer,  on  board  of  which  were 
Colonel  Chousserie,  the  officer  commanding  the  gendarmerie  of 
the  Loire-Inferieure ;  Joly  ;  Polo,  one  of  the  municipal  officials 
of  Nantes ;  and  four  officers,  Deas,  Petit-Pierre,  Robineau  de 
Bougon,  and  Rocher.  These  seven  persons  had  been  selected 
to  accompany  the  princess  to  Blaye,  and  Colonel  Chousserie 
had  just  been  appointed  commandant  of  the  town  and  citadel 
of  Blaye. 

At  Saint-Nazaire,  which  was  reached  at  ten  o'clock,  they 
found  a  corvette,  the  Capricieuse,  to  which  Madame  and  her 
f  ellow-prisoners  were  transferred,  and  the  same  afternoon  they 
set  sail  for  Blaye. 

349 


350  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

It  was  blowing  hard  when  the  Capricieuse  left  Saint-Nazaire, 
and  before  many  hours  the  wind  had  increased  to  a  veritable 
gale.  Madame,  though  usually  an  excellent  sailor,  was  very 
ill,  while  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  was  absolutely  prostrated,  and 
incapable  of  rendering  her  the  least  assistance.  She  was  obliged 
to  have  recourse  to  the  services  of  a  young  sailor,  "  who  acquitted 
himself  admirably  of  the  delicate  functions  of  private  chamber- 
lain." 1  The  corvette,  moreover,  though  a  tough  little  vessel 
and  commanded  by  an  excellent  officer,  was  undermanned,  or 
rather  most  of  its  best  sailors  had  temporarily  been  replaced 
by  raw  hands,  who  had  been  sent  on  board  for  instruction  in 
seamanship,  and  were  practically  useless  in  rough  weather.  In 
consequence,  they  were  several  times  in  considerable  danger, 
and  the  captain  did  not  conceal  his  anxiety  from  the  gentlemen 
of  the  party.  However,  after  what  he  stigmatised  as  "  a  dog's 
time,"  in  the  afternoon  of  November  1 5  the  Capricieuse  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Gironde,  where  a  steamer,  the  Bordelais, 
was  waiting  to  convey  the  prisoners  and  their  escort  to  Blaye. 
Their  troubles  were  not  yet  over,  however,  for  the  boat  which 
was  conveying  the  party  from  the  corvette  to  the  steamer  was 
as  nearly  as  possible  swamped  ;  and  the  passengers,  instead  of 
mounting  by  the  Borde/ais's  ladder,  had  to  wait  until  a  wave 
carried  the  boat  to  the  height  of  the  bridge,  when  they  were 
hauled  unceremoniously  on  board.  But  at  last  the  transference 
was  safely  accomplished,  and  the  steamer,  proceeding  up  the 
Gironde,  landed  them,  at  six  o'clock  that  evening,  at  Blaye. 

The  prisoners  were  received  at  the  landing-stage  by  General 
Janin,  commanding  the  12th  military  division,  the  colonel  of  the 
National  Guard,  and  the  mayor,  who  escorted  them  to  the 
citadel.   "  All  passed  off  with  order,  tranquillity,  and  decorum."  2 

The  town  of  Blaye  is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Gironde,  about  twelve  leagues  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  It 
stands  on  a  rocky  height,  and  commands  a  magnificent  view  of 
the  surrounding  country,  from  the  slopes  of  the  Medoc,  on  the 
South,  to  the  plains  of  Saintonge,  on  the  North.  The  citadel, 
where  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  was  to  spend  the  next  seven 
months,  was  constructed  by  Vauban  between  1685  and  1688,  and 
includes  a  great  part  of  the  old  town,  in  which  he  caused  more 
than  two  hundred  houses  to  be  demolished.     It  is  of  great  size 

1  Dr.  Meniere,  la  Captivite  de  Madame  la  duchesse  de  Berry  a  Blaye. 

2  Randouin,  sous-prS/et  of  Blaye,  to  Thiers,  November  15,  1832,  in  Nauroy. 


A    PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  351 

— indeed,  with  its  streets,  squares,  garden,  barracks,  church  and 
hospital,  it  resembles  a  military  colony  rather  than  a  fortress — 
and  completely  commands  the  Gironde,  four  kilometres  wide  at 
this  point.  Its  summit  is  crowned  by  an  old  Gothic  chateau, 
flanked  by  four  bastions  and  surrounded  by  deep  ditches,  which 
contains  the  tomb  of  Caribert,  son  of  Clotaire  II. 

The  duchess  was  installed  in  a  modest  but  comfortable  one- 
storied  house,  which  had  formerly  served  as  the  governor's  resi- 
dence, situated  in  the  interior  of  the  citadel.  Her  apartments 
consisted  of  three  rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  boudoir,  bedroom, 
and  salon,  and  a  fourth  in  an  annexe  of  the  building,  which  she 
used  as  a  dining-room.  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  occupied  two 
rooms  adjoining  those  of  the  princess  ;  Mesnard  was  allotted 
a  comfortable  room  in  another  part  of  the  same  house. 

Thiers  had  instructed  the  prefect  of  the  Gironde  that  "nothing 
in  the  way  of  material  satisfaction  was  to  be  refused  to  the 
prisoners,"  and  everything  possible  was  done  for  their  comfort. 
The  authorities  paid  more  than  three  thousand  francs  for  new 
furniture  for  the  princess's  apartments  ;  a  piano,  a  lap-dog,  and 
a  parrot,  were  procured  for  her,1  and  General  Janin  carried  his 
complaisance  so  far  as  to  undertake  personally  the  purchase  of 
Madame 's  shoes.  Finally,  they  wished  to  send  to  Bordeaux  for 
the  band  of  the  48th  Regiment  to  divert  her  ;  but  the  Bordelais 
protested  so  strongly  that  they  were  obliged  to  abandon  the 
idea. 

At  the  same  time,  the  most  minute  precautions  were  taken 
to  guard  the  prisoners,  and,  if  an  enemy  had  been  encamped  at 
the  gates,  the  fortress  could  not  have  been  more  strongly 
defended,  or  a  stricter  discipline  observed.  The  strength  of  the 
garrison  was  raised  to  nearly  a  thousand  men  ;  the  cannon  stood 
ready  charged  ;  the  guard  was  doubled  ;  the  gates  were  locked 
at  sunset,  after  which  no  one  was  permitted  to  pass  in  or  out, 
and  the  corvette  which  had  brought  the  prisoners  to  Blaye  and 
two  smaller  vessels  were  stationed  at  the  foot  of  the  ramparts 
to  defend  the  approach  by  water.  Almost  every  day,  Colonel 
Chousserie  received  letters  from  Paris  enjoining  upon  him  fresh 
precautions.     The  windows  of  Madame's  apartments,   already 

1  A  receipt  in  the  Archives  Nationales  informs  us  that  200  francs  was  paid  for  the 
parrot.  A  Nantaise  lady  subsequently  sent  Madame  another  parrot.  The  two  birds 
for  a  time  occupied  the  same  perch,  and  their  frequent  battles  greatly  amused  the 
princess. 


352  A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

closely  barred,  were  further  protected  by  iron  gratings ;  sentries 
were  posted  day  and  night  round  the  house,  and,  finally,  pali- 
sades twelve  feet  high  were  erected,  and  other  sentries  stationed 
outside  these.  During  the  day,  the  prisoners  were  allowed  to 
move  about  as  they  pleased  within  the  cordon  formed  by  the 
sentries,  but  at  dusk  they  were  locked  up  in  their  apartments, 
and  were  even  forbidden  to  open  the  windows.  The  commissary 
of  police  Joly,  to  Madame 's  intense  disgust,  was  installed  in  a 
room  at  the  end  of  the  corridor. 

Ferdinand  Petit-Pierre,  one  of  the  officers  who  had  accom- 
panied the  Duchesse  de  Berry  from  Nantes,  kept  a  very  interest- 
ing journal  during  his  stay  at  Blaye,  in  which  he  describes  the 
daily  life  of  the  captives.  Tr  «sy  rose  at  eight  o'clock,  break- 
fasted at  ten,  dined  at  six,  and  retired  to  rest  at  half-past  nine. 
Every  day,  at  noon,  unless  the  courier  had  been  delayed,  the 
lieutenant  of  the  fortress  brought  the  journals  to  the  princess, 
and  conversed  with  her  for  a  few  minutes.  Madame 's  principal 
occupations  were  reading  and  tapestry-work.  From  ten  o'clock 
until  four  she  was  permitted  to  walk  in  the  garden  adjoining 
the  house,  and  generally  availed  herself  of  this  concession,  if  the 
weather  were  fine.  In  the  evening,  Mesnard  or  Mile,  de  Kersa- 
biec  often  read  to  her  aloud,  and  sometimes  they  played  cards. 
Once,  the  lieutenant  entering  unexpectedly,  found  Mile,  de 
Kersabiec  telling  her  Royal  Highness's  fortune.  Their  only 
visitor  from  the  outside  world  was  the  cur6  of  Blaye,  who  had 
received  permission  to  pay  occasional  visits  to  the  princess.1 

Madame  did  not  allow  herself  to  despond.  She  was,  as  we 
have  seen,  a  young  woman  of  great  energy  of  character  and  of 
a  singularly  happy  disposition,  which  enabled  her  to  accommo- 
date herself  to  circumstances.  Rich  or  poor,  victor  or  vanquished, 
she  accepted  her  fate  and  did  what  was  necessary.  It  was  thus 
that,  one  day,  during  her  wanderings  in  la  Vendee,  she  was 
found  mending  her  stockings.  "  I  had  a  governess,"  said  she, 
laughing,  "  who  taught  me  to  darn,  for  she  said  that  I  never 
knew  in  what  position  I  might  one  day  find  myself."  2  Joly,  who 
certainly  could  not  be  accused  of  partiality  for  the  princess, 
wrote,  in  a  report  which  he  sent  to  Thiers  the  day  after 
Madame 's  arrival  at  Blaye  :  "  She  has  shown,  from  the  moment 
of  her   arrest,  a  rare  courage  and   evenness   of  temper  ;    her 

1  Journal  de  la  captiviU  de  la  duchesse  de  Berry  a  Blaye  (Paris,  1904). 
"  E.  Thirria,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry, 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  353 

manners  have  been  affable,  and  the  sentiment  of  gratitude  seems 
to  be  with  her  a  predominant  quality." 

Madame,  however,  was  not  always  even-tempered.  Naturally 
impatient  of  contradiction,  she  indulged  now  and  again  in  violent 
outbursts,  which  occasioned  her  gaolers  considerable  astonish- 
ment. One  day,  towards  the  end  of  November,  Petit-Pierre  was 
charged  by  the  commandant  to  inform  the  princess  that  he  had 
received  orders  that  the  "Carlist"  journals  were  no  longer  to 
be  supplied  to  her.  " Madame"  he  writes,  " flew  into  a  terrible 
rage,  stamping  her  foot,  and  striking  the  furniture  with  her 
fist.  '  So,'  she  cried,  '  they  are  beginning  a  system  of  annoy- 
ances !  It  is  that  scoundrel  of  a  Thiers  who  is  doing  all  this. 
Not  content  with  lodging  under  the  same  roof  as  myself  that 
accursed  Joly,  who  presided  at  the  murder  of  my  husband,1  he 
deprives  me  of  the  only  means  of  ascertaining  the  persons  who 
are  interested  in  me.  I  will  write  to  Paris.  We  shall  see.  For, 
at  any  rate,  I  am  the  niece  of  the  Duchesse  d'Orleans.  She  is 
my  father's  own  sister.  If  I  had  her  in  my  power,  I  would  not 
have  treated  her  like  this.  But  can  you  expect  anything  else 
from  her  who  caused  her  own  mother  to  die  of  grief?  Yes  ;  I 
will  write  to  the  journals.  I  wish  to  be  brought  to  trial.  We 
shall  see  who  in  France  will  condemn  me.  I  have  done  as  much 
good  as  I  was  able,  and  this  is  my  recompense ! ' " 

With  the  assistance  of  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  and  the  cur6  of 
Blaye,  who  happened  to  be  present,  Petit-Pierre  succeeded  in 
calming  the  indignant  lady  ;  and,  though  the  Legitimist  journals 
were  withheld,  by  way  of  compensation,  the  commandant  ordered 
"  that  accursed  Joly "  to  leave  the  house,  and  replaced  him  by 
Petit-Pierre,  thus  enabling  Madame,  as  she  expressed  it,  "to 
sleep  in  peace." 

If  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  desired  to  be  brought  to  trial, 
Louis-Philippe  and  his  Ministers  had  not  the  least  intention 
of  gratifying  her  wish,  for  they  were  well  aware  that  they  had 
nothing  to  gain  and  a  great  deal  to  lose  by  such  a  step. 
"Members  of  royal  families,"  observes  Guizot,  "always  re- 
main, morally  and  politically,  very  difficult  and  very  dangerous 
persons  to  prosecute,  particularly  when  the  throne  which  they 
used  to  surround  has  fallen  in  a  tempest,  and  they  have  the 

1  Joly  had  been  in  charge  of  the  police  at  the  Opera  on  the  night  of  the  Due  de 
Berry's  assassination.     Madame  seems  to  have  got  the    idea  into  her  head  that  he 
ought  to  have  foreseen  and  prevented  the  crime. 
2  A 


354  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

appearance  of  pursuing  their  rights  in  endeavouring  to  recover 
it.  There  is  between  their  lofty  position  as  princes,  and  their 
distress  as  fallen  and  accused  persons,  a  contrast  which  inspires 
more  sympathy  on  their  behalf  than  their  enterprises  excite 
envy  or  alarm.  Acquitted,  they  become  almost  victors  ;  con- 
demned, they  are  the  victims  of  their  cause  and  their  courage." 
If  Madame  were  condemned,  she  would  undoubtedly  arouse  an 
immense  amount  of  sympathy  at  present  withheld  from  her ; 
and,  moreover,  her  condemnation  would  be  very  unfavourably 
viewed  by  certain  foreign  Courts,  especially  by  Spain  and 
Austria.  If  she  were  acquitted,  she  would  not  only  become  a 
popular  heroine,  but  her  acquittal  would  be  a  virtual  condemna- 
tion of  the  July  Monarchy,  and  an  invitation  to  the  subjects  of 
Louis-Philippe  to  rebel  against  him.  The  Government,  there- 
fore, dared  not  prosecute  the  princess. 

Why  then  did  it  not  order  her  to  be  conducted  to  the 
frontier  and  set  at  liberty,  with  all  the  honours  due  to  her 
rank  and  all  the  respect  due  to  her  misfortunes  ?  Such  an 
action  would  have  been  at  once  chivalrous  and  politic.  She 
was  a  woman,  a  princess,  the  niece  of  the  Queen,  the  widow  of 
a  murdered  prince  of  the  Royal  Family  of  France,  the  mother 
of  the  boy  who,  in  happier  circumstances,  would  have  one  day 
ascended  the  throne,  the  daughter-in-law  of  Charles  X.  Was 
it  not  the  bounden  duty  of  Louis-Philippe  and  his  Ministers  to 
conduct  themselves  as  chivalrous  gentlemen  towards  her  ? 

Moreover,  from  a  legal  point  of  view,  her  continued  deten- 
tion, now  that  the  Government  had  no  intention  of  bringing 
her  to  trial,  was  absolutely  indefensible.  Thiers  attempted  to 
justify  it  to  the  Chamber  on  the  ground  that  the  public  safety 
required  it.  Well,  it  was  the  "public  safety"  which,  under  the 
old  regime,  had  been  the  excuse  for  the  issue  of  the  lettres  de 
cachet ;  and  even  the  English  journals,  which  had  so  loudly 
acclaimed  the  Revolution,  did  not  fail  to  comment  on  the 
startling  inconsistency  of  such  an  attitude  with  those  liberal 
principles  for  which  the  "  best  of  republics  "  professed  so  much 
regard. 

Nor  was  the  plea  even  a  valid  one.  The  insurrection  which 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry  had  promoted  had  ended  in  the  most 
complete  fiasco,  and  had  served  only  to  demonstrate  the  utter 
lack  of  organisation  and  cohesion  among  the  partisans  of  the 
exiled  dynasty.     It  was  obvious  that  some  years  at  least  must 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  355 

elapse  before  the  disheartened  Legitimists  would  venture  to 
take  up  arms  again,  and  that,  when  that  time  arrived — if  it 
ever  did — it  would  not  be  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  but  her  son, 
who  would  be  found  at  their  head. 

No ;  it  was  not  consideration  for  the  public  safety  ;  it  was 
not  the  fear  that  this  redoubtable  enemy  would,  if  set  at 
liberty,  immediately  proceed  to  organise  a  fresh  enterprise ;  it 
was  not  even  the  wish  to  throw  a  sop  to  the  Cerberus  of 
Republicanism,  refusing  to  admit  the  principle  of  immunity  for 
princes  and  declaring  that  every  one  was  equal  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Law,  whatever  their  titles  or  their  rank,  which  had  decided 
Louis-Philippe  and  his  advisers  to  keep  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
under  lock  and  key.  It  was  because  they  had  reason  to  suspect 
that,  in  a  few  months,  an  event  would  take  place  which  they 
believed  would  dishonour  the  princess,  and,  in  dishonouring 
her,  dishonour  her  son,  and  deal  a  staggering  blow  to  the 
Legitimist  cause ;  and  they  were  determined  that  this  event 
should  be  surrounded  with  all  the  publicity  which  it  was  possible 
to  give  to  it.  It  was  because  they  hoped  to  buttress  the  July 
Monarchy  with  the  mud  which  would  be  thrown  at  a  defenceless 
woman  ! 


CHAPTER   XXX 

First  suspicion  that  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  is  enceinte — Dr.  Gintrac,  of  Bordeaux, 
visits  the  princess — Reticence  of  this  physician — Refusal  of  Madame  to  see  Barthez, 
the  surgeon  attached  to  the  citadel ;  her  letter  to  the  commandant,  Colonel  Chous- 
serie — The  Government  send  Drs.  Auvitz  and  Orfila  to  Blaye — The  announcement 
of  their  departure  followed  by  a  violent  outcry  against  the  Ministry  in  the  Legitimist 
journals,  which  demand  the  immediate  release  of  the  princess,  on  the  ground  that 
her  captivity  is  endangering  her  life — Reports  of  the  doctors — Rumour  that  Madame 
is  enceinte  begins  to  circulate  in  Paris — Article  in  the  Corsaire,  followed  by  a  duel 
in  which  the  writer  is  wounded — Threats  of  the  Legitimists  defied  by  the  National 
and  the  Tribune — Twelve  duels  arranged — Armand  Carrel,  editor  of  the  National, 
severely  wounded  in  an  encounter  with  M.  Roux-Laborie — Wrath  of  the  Republicans 
— Interference  of  the  Government — Sad  situation  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Blaye 
— General  Bugeaud  replaces  Colonel  Chousserie  as  commandant  of  the  citadel,  and 
subjects  the  unfortunate  prisoner  to  the  most  rigorous  surveillance — Despatches  of 
Bugeaud  to  the  Government — The  declaration  of  February  22,  1833,  in  which 
Madame  admits  her  condition,  and  declares  that  she  was  secretly  married  during  her 
residence  in  Italy — Letter  of  the  princess  to  Mesnard — The  declaration  is  published 
in  the  Moniteur  of  February  26 — Immense  sensation  in  Paris  :  joy  of  the  Orleanists, 
consternation  of  the  Legitimists — The  secret  marriage  is  not  credited  :  scandalous 
rumours — Dr.  Meniere  at  Blaye — He  is  summoned  to  Paris — Singular  interview 
between  him  and  Louis-Philippe. 

DURING  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  stay  at  the  Chateau 
of  Nantes  and  the  journey  to  Saint-Nazaire,  General 
Drouet  d'Erlon  had  remarked  to  several  persons : 
"  //  me  semble  que  Madame  est  enceinte  I "  Nothing  seems  to  have 
occurred  to  confirm  the  general's  suspicion  for  the  first  month 
after  the  princess's  arrival  at  Blaye,  but  on  the  morning  of 
December  8  Colonel  Chousserie  was  informed  that  she  had  had 
a  sleepless  night  and  was  feeling  rather  unwell,  and  that  she 
wished  to  consult  a  Bordeaux  doctor,  who  had  attended  her  for 
a  slight  indisposition  during  her  visit  to  that  city  in  1828.1  She 
could  not,  however,  remember  his  name.  Chousserie  wrote  to 
Preissac,  prefect  of  the  Gironde,  requesting  him  to  ascertain 
who  had  attended  the  princess  on  that  occasion  and  send  him 
at  once  to  Blaye,  and,  in  the  meanwhile,  suggested  that  she 

1  Chousserie  to  Thiers,  December  8,  1832,  in  Nauroy. 
356 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  357 

should  see  a  local  practitioner,  but  to  this  Madame  testified  an 
"  insurmountable  objection." 

Preissac  was  unable  to  discover  the  doctor  required,  but  he 
sent  a  Dr.  Gintrac,  whom  Madame  consented  to  see.1  Between 
that  date  and  the  middle  of  January  1833,  Gintrac  paid  several 
visits  to  his  august  patient ;  but  he  was  a  staunch  Legitimist, 
and,  beyond  an  assurance  that  there  was  nothing  whatever  to 
be  alarmed  about,  the  authorities  succeeded  in  getting  very 
little  information  out  of  him.  The  Government  accordingly 
sent  orders  to  Chousserie  that  Barthez,  the  surgeon  of  the 
garrison,  was  to  see  the  princess.  Madame  absolutely  refused 
to  receive  him,  declaring  that  it  was  "  incredible  and  monstrous  " 
that  he  should  be  forced  upon  her.  "  However  ill  I  may  be- 
come," she  writes  to  Chousserie,  "  I  will  only  see  the  doctor  of 
my  own  choice,  or  I  will  see  no  one.  I  have  been  able  to  look 
death  calmly  in  the  face  in  a  cottage,  in  a  ditch,  and  on  the  sea 
(as  you  are  aware)  ;  and  I  shall  be  well  able  to  see  it  approach 
my  bed.     This  is  my  inviolable  determination."  2 

However,  in  the  night  of  January  16-17,  the  duchess  was 
taken  ill  with  symptoms  which  seemed  to  point  very  clearly  to 
what  had  been  for  some  time  suspected.  Chousserie  at  once 
sent  a  telegraphic  despatch  to  the  Government,  and  on  the  21st 
two  of  the  best  doctors  in  Paris,  Auvity  and  Orfila,  were 
despatched  to  Blaye. 

Their  departure,  which  was  announced  by  the  Moniteur  of 
the  following  day,  aroused  great  alarm  and  indignation  among 
the  Legitimists.  Its  organs,  the  Quotidienne,  the  Gazette  de 
France,  the  Revenant,  and  the  Mode,3  which  for  the  past  two 
months  had  never  ceased  to  assert  that  there  was  no  more 
unhealthy  fortress  in  France  than  the  citadel  of  Blaye,  and  had 
hinted,  not  obscurely,  that  it  was  for  that  very  reason  that 
Madame  had  been  sent  there,  resounded  with  imprecations 
against  the  Ministry  and  summoned  it,  "  if  it  did  not  wish  to 
become  the  horror  of  the  universe  and  of  posterity,"  to  set  the 

1  Saint-Amand  states  that  Madame  had  asked  for  Gintrac.  This  is  incorrect,  for, 
in  a  note  which  she  sent  on  December  26  to  Chousserie,  the  duchess  complains  that 
she  "had  not  asked  for  him  and  cared  little  about  seeing  him,  as  she  did  not  know 
him." 

2  Letter  of  December  26,  1832,  in  Nauroy. 

3  The  Mode,  as  its  name  implies,  was  a  journal  for  ladies,  but  it  sandwiched 
between  fashion-plates  and  lengthy  descriptions  of  balls  and  weddings  political 
articles  of  the  most  violent  character. 


358  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

prisoner  at  liberty  immediately.  The  Gazette  de  France  ap- 
peared with  a  black  border,  in  sign  of  premature  mourning,  and 
the  Revenant  expressed  its  belief  that  foul  play  was  going  on, 
and  declared  that  if  Madame  died,  "  her  life  could  only  be  paid 
for  by  another  life." 

Auvity  and  Orfila  arrived  at  Blaye  on  January  24,  and,  in 
company  with  Gintry  and  Barthez,  visited  the  princess  twice. 
On  February  1,  they  drew  up  a  report,  which  was  forwarded  to 
Paris  and  inserted  in  the  Moniteur.  In  this  they  said  nothing 
about  the  nature  of  the  lady's  indisposition,  and  confined  them- 
selves to  a  defence  of  the  salubrity  of  Blaye ;  but  in  another 
report,  which  was  signed  by  their  colleagues  as  well,  and  which 
was  intended  for  the  ministerial  eye  alone,  they,  without  going 
so  far  as  to  declare  that  Madame  was  enceinte,  plainly  showed 
that  such  was  their  opinion. 

Meanwhile,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  Government,  a  rumour 
to  that  effect  was  beginning  to  circulate  in  Paris.  A  little 
Republican  journal,  the  Corsaire,  alluded  to  it.  A  Legitimist 
journal  gave  the  Corsaire  the  lie,  and  a  duel  followed,  in  which 
the  writer  of  the  Corsaire  article  was  wounded.  That  paper, 
nevertheless,  continued  its  allusions,  and,  in  spite  of  repeated 
provocations,  its  staff  refused  to  be  drawn  again  to  the  field  of 
honour,  sheltering  themselves  behind  "the  respect  due  to  the 
political  writer."  The  Legitimists  declared  that,  if  any  one 
dared  to  reflect  upon  Madame 's  honour,  they  would  force  the  lie 
down  his  throat  at  the  point  of  the  sword.  The  National  and 
the  Tribune,  irritated  by  the  intimidation  which  their  opponents 
were  endeavouring  to  exercise,  defied  them  collectively ;  and 
the  offices  of  both  journals  were  immediately  besieged  by  fire- 
eating  gentlemen  who  desired  to  cross  swords  with  some 
member  of  their  respective  staffs.  A  dozen  duels  were 
arranged,  and,  on  February  2,  hostilities  began  with  an  encounter 
between  Armand  Carrel,  the  brilliant  young  editor  of  the 
National,  and  a  M.  Roux-Laborie.  Carrel  wounded  his  adver- 
sary twice  in  the  arm,  but  received,  in  return,  a  thrust  in  the 
stomach,  which  was  at  first  considered  very  serious.1 

The  Republicans,  burning  to  avenge  the  popular  journalist, 
published  a  kind  of  manifesto  in  the  Tribime,  announcing  that, 
if  the  Government  permitted  the  Legitimists   to  hold  public 

1  Three  years  later,  Carrel  was  again  wounded,  this  time  mortally,  in  a  duel  with 
Emile  de  Girardin,  then  editor  of  the  Presse. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  359 

meetings,  they  would  break  them  up  by  force.  At  this  point, 
the  Government,  though  it  had  viewed  with  complacency  the 
quarrel  between  the  two  sections  of  the  Opposition,  felt  obliged 
to  intervene,  in  the  interests  of  public  order.  All  political 
meetings  were  prohibited,  and  police  posted  outside  the  offices 
of  the  different  journals,  with  orders  to  shadow  their  inmates 
wherever  they  went  and  arrest  them  at  the  first  symptom  of  an 
intention  to  engage  in  mortal  combat.  These  measures  proved 
effective ;  the  Republicans  and  Legitimists  began  to  exchange 
compliments  in  lieu  of  insults,  and  turned  all  the  venom  in 
their  pens  upon  the  peacemaker. 

While  the  journalists  were  fighting  over  her  with  sword  and 
pen  in  Paris,  the  situation  of  the  prisoner  of  Blaye  had  under- 
gone a  marked  change  for  the  worse.  In  the  first  place,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  clamour  in  the  Legitimist  journals 
had  a  basis  of  truth,  and  that  the  climate  of  Blaye,  at  that 
season  of  the  year,  was  not  at  all  suited  to  her,  particularly  in 
the  delicate  state  she  then  was.  In  the  second,  she  had  lost  her 
faithful  friends  Stylite  de  Kersabiec  and  Mesnard,  who  had 
been  summoned  to  take  their  trial,  the  one  at  Nantes  and  the 
other  at  Montbrison  ;  and  though  Brissac  and  Madame  d'Haute- 
fort  had  come  to  take  their  places,  she  missed  them  sorely, 
and  was,  besides,  very  anxious  as  to  their  fate.  And,  finally, 
the  chivalrous  Colonel  Chousserie,  who  had  already  twice  re- 
quested to  be  relieved  from  duties  which  he  had  discharged 
with  the  greatest  reluctance,  had  been  replaced  by  General 
Bugeaud — the  future  Governor-General  of  Algeria — an  officer 
of  quite  another  stamp.1 

Bugeaud  arrived  at  Blaye  on  February  3.     His  orders  were 

1  Thomas  Robert  Bugeaud  de  la  Piconnerie.  Born  at  Limoges,  in  1784*  he 
entered  the  army  as  a  private,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  served  with  distinction  in 
Prussia,  Poland,  and  Spain,  and  had  attained  the  rank  of  colonel  at  the  time  of  the 
fall  of  the  Empire.  He  accepted  service  under  the  Bourbons,  but  deserted  to 
Napoleon  on  the  Emperor's  return  from  Elba,  and  commanded  the  advance-guard 
of  the  Army  of  the  Alps.  After  the  Second  Restoration,  he  retired  to  his  country 
estate  and  occupied  himself  with  farming,  of  which  he  was  passionately  fond  ;  but  in 
1831  he  was  elected  deputy  for  Perigueux.  In  1834,  he  suppressed  the  insurrection  in 
Paris,  and  in  1840  was  nominated  Governor-General  of  Algeria.  Here  he  organised 
the  Zouaves,  and  was  everywhere  triumphant  over  the  Arab  tribes,  though  his  severities 
caused  him  to  be  severely  criticised.  For  his  victory  over  the  Emperor  of  Morocco, 
at  Isly,  he  was  created  Due  d'Isly  and  Marshal  of  France.  He  died  of  cholera,  in 
Paris,  in  1849.  Bugeaud,  who  was  a  voluminous  writer  on  military  subjects,  was  a 
brave  and  most  able  soldier,  but  of  a  harsh  and  domineering  character. 


360  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

to  exercise  over  his  prisoner  the  most  rigorous  surveillance,  and 
to  endeavour  by  every  possible  means  to  wring  from  her  a 
written  confession  of  her  condition.  He  carried  out  his  instruc- 
tions con  amove,  and,  from  that  moment,  the  unfortunate  princess's 
captivity  became  one  long  martyrdom.  Her  liberty  was  sub- 
jected to  the  most  galling  and  humiliating  restrictions  ;  she  was 
simply  surrounded  by  spies — spies  at  her  door,  spies  beneath 
her  window,  spies  in  the  room  beneath  her  own,  who  watched 
and  listened  to  her  conversation  through  a  hole  which  had  been 
made  in  the  ceiling  ;  and  Bugeaud  and  his  officers  invented 
pretexts  for  visiting  her  at  least  half  a  dozen  times  a  day. 

Almost  every  day,  the  general  reported  the  result  of  his 
own  and  his  myrmidons'  observations  to  the  Government.  He 
was  much  puzzled,  however,  by  the  cheerfulness  and  good- 
humour  of  his  captive,  and  the  profound  respect  with  which 
Brissac  and  Madame  d'Hautefort  spoke  of  and  treated  her.  It 
was  difficult  to  reconcile  the  attitude  of  the  princess  and  her 
companions  with  the  fact  that  she  was  about  to  be  publicly  dis- 
honoured in  the  face  of  all  Europe.  "  What  disconcerts  me," 
he  writes  to  d'Argout,  who,  at  the  New  Year,  had  succeeded 
Thiers  as  Minister  of  the  Interior,1  "is  her  gaiety.  She  sings, 
she  hums,  she  plays  with  her  parrots  and  her  dog.  Yesterday 
she  was  bewailing,  in  music,  her  poodle,  who  has  a  bad  paw. 
All  this  causes  me  to  suspect  that,  if  she  is  in  the  condition  we 
suppose,  she  has  a  fictitious  marriage  ready  to  explain  it."  And 
again  :  "  The  respect,  the  esteem,  with  which  the  companions 
of  the  duchess  surround  her,  the  constajit  gaiety  of  the  latter, 
which  is  confirmed  by  the  observations  which-  we  make  without 
her  knowledge,  all  persuade  me  that,  if  she  is  enceinte,  she 
has  a  cloak  prepared  to  preserve  her  reputation,  and  that  there 
is  a  marriage  either  secret  or  fictitious." 

The  despatch  from  which  this  last  extract  is  taken  is  dated 
February  22,  1833,  3  p.m. ;  and  at  half-past  five  on  the  same 
afternoon,  Bugeaud  added  the  following  postscript : — 

"I  have  just  been  summoned  to  the  duchess.  She  has 
almost  thrown  herself  into  my  arms,  weeping.  She  pressed 
my  hands  and  confessed  to  me  that  she  was  secretly  married 
in  Italy,  and  that  she  is  enceinte,  and  that  she  believes  it  her 
duty  to  her  children,  to  her  friends,  and  to  herself  to  make 
the  admission.     I  felicitated  her  upon  it,  and  I    asked   for  a 

1  Theirs  had  been  made  Minister  of  Commerce  and  Public  Works. 


THOMAS   ROBERT   BUGEAUD   DE   LA   PICONNERIE  (AFTERWARDS 
DUC   D'ISLY   AND  MARECHAL   DE    FRANCE 

FROM    A   LITHOGRAPH    BY    B.   ROUBAUD 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  361 

written  declaration.  She  hesitated  a  little,  but,  finally,  she 
consented. 

"  I  have  three  hundred  pounds  the  less  on  my  heart.  I 
am  happy ;  the  end  is  attained.  The  honour  of  the  King  and 
of  the  country  is  saved !  Everything  favours  the  Throne  of 
July." 

The  document  which  excited  such  joyful  emotions  in  the 
general's  breast  was  as  follows  : — 

"Pressed  by  circumstances  and  by  the  measures  ordered  by 
the  Government,  although  I  had  the  gravest  motives  for  keeping 
my  marriage  secret,  I  believe  it  my  duty  to  myself,  as  well  as  to 
my  children,  to  declare  that  I  was  secretly  married  during  my 
residence  in  Italy. 

"  Marie-Caroline 

"  Citadel  of  Blaye,  February  22,  1833." 

On  the  same  day,  Madame  wrote  to  Mesnard,  with  whom 
she  had  received  permission  to  communicate  : — 

"  I  believe  that  I  am  going  to  die  in  telling  you  what 
follows  ;  but  it  is  necessary.  Vexations,  the  positive  order  to 
leave  me  alone  with  spies,  the  certainty  of  not  being  released 
until  the  month  of  September,  have  alone  decided  me  to  the 
declaration  of  my  secret  marriage,  being  no  longer  able  to 
conceal  my  condition  for  my  honour  and  that  of  my  children. 
If  I  were  to  remain  here,  I  should  die.  .  .  .  Oh  !  how  I  wish 
that  I  might  be  away  from  here,  so  that  I  might  be  tranquil ! " 

From  this  letter,  it  is  evident  that  the  declaration  had  been 
extracted  from  Madame  by  the  promise  of  a  speedy  liberation, 
and  Mesnard  asserts  that  she  had  also  received  an  assurance 
that  her  secret  should  be  respected.  The  Government,  however, 
had  not  the  remotest  intention  of  observing  either  condition ; 
and  the  declaration,  which  was  transmitted  to  Paris  early  on 
the  following  morning,  was  published  in  the  Moniteur  of  the  26th. 

The  sensation  which  it  produced  may  be  imagined.  The 
Orleanists  could  not  contain  their  joy  ;  the  Legitimists  were 
aghast.  In  vain  did  their  organs  strive  to  throw  doubt  upon 
the  authenticity  of  the  declaration.  In  vain  did  they  stigma- 
tize its  publication  by  the  Government  as  "  a   proceeding  so 

1  Nauroy,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry.  M.  Nauroy,  who,  at  the  time  when  he  wrote, 
was  unaware  of  the  existence  of  the  documents  which  we  shall  presently  cite,  seems 
to  regard  this  letter  as  a  proof  that  Mesnard  was  the  father  of  Madame 's  child. 


362  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

immoral  and  so  cynical  that  its  parallel  was  not  to  be  found 
in  history."  In  vain  did  they  declare  that  "a  secret  marriage, 
that  is  to  say,  a  marriage  of  conscience,  made  before  the  altar, 
does  not  occasion  any  legal  change  in  civil  and  political  rights," 
and  remind  their  readers  that  Marie  Louise,  notwithstanding 
her  marriage  with  Neipperg,  had  received  from  the  Congress  of 
Vienna  the  title  of  empress,  and  that  the  Duke  of  Reichstadt 
had  remained  to  the  day  of  his  death  the  hope  of  the  Bona- 
partists.  In  vain  did  they  shriek  with  exultation  over  the 
acquittal  of  Chateaubriand,  whom  the  Government  had  been 
so  ill-advised  as  to  prosecute  for  his  Mcmoire  sur  la  captivite  de 
Mme  la  duchesse  de  Berry,  and  repeat  in  chorus  his  famous 
apostrophe  of  the  princess  :  "  Madame,  votre  fils  est  mon  roi  !  " 
The  hard  fact  remained  that  their  heroine — this  young  v/oman 
whom  they  had  hailed  as  a  second  Jeanne  d'Arc — had  failed  to 
comprehend  the  duties  which  the  enterprise  to  which  she  had 
set  her  hand  required  of  her ;  that  she  had  not  possessed  suffi- 
cient loftiness  of  soul  to  consecrate  herself  exclusively  to  the 
cause  of  her  son,  and  that  the  party,  in  consequence,  had  received 
an  irreparable  moral  injury. 

For  few,  save  those  who  had  enjoyed  the  personal  friendship 
of  the  princess,  seemed  to  believe  in  a  secret  marriage  ;  and  the 
most  scandalous  rumours  were  flying  about.  Some  attributed  the 
paternity  of  the  expected  child  to  Mesnard  ;  others  to  Guibourg  ; 
others  again  to  Rosambo  ;  while  the  more  malicious  declared 
that  probably  all  three  were  entitled  to  lay  claim  to  the  honour. 
But  most  people,  recalling  the  stories  that  had  been  current 
under  the  Restoration  about  Madame  and  her  first  equerry, 
declared  that  Mesnard  must  be  the  happy  man  ;  and  a  chanson 
expressing  this  view  of  the  matter,  which  we  dare  not  reproduce 
here,  was  straightway  composed  and  enjoyed  a  considerable 
vogue. 

Unhappy  princess  !  Not  only  did  the  scandal-mongers  of 
the  cafes  and  the  salons  refuse  to  believe  her  word,  but  the 
Ministers,  and  even  the  King  and  Queen,  were  or,  at  any  rate, 
affected  to  be,  equally  incredulous.  Louis-Philippe,  with  all 
his  faults,  was  an  amiable  man,  who  never  willingly  harmed  any 
one,  and  his  consort,  who  was  really  attached  to  her  niece,  had 
entreated  him  to  put  an  end  to  the  scandal.  But  Thiers  had 
represented  to  him  that  no  personal  consideration  must  be 
allowed  to   balance   the   imperative   necessity   of    ruining   the 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  363 

Legitimist  party  and  rendering  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  hence- 
forth impossible  ;  and  he  had  permitted  himself  to  be  overruled. 
A  few  days  before  the  declaration  of  February  22,  the 
Government  had  despatched  to  Blaye  Dr.  Prosper  Meniere,  who 
enjoyed  an  extensive  practice  among  the  fashionable  ladies  of 
the  capital,  for  which  he  was  indebted  as  much  to  his  charming 
manners  as  to  his  professional  skill.  Meniere,  who,  by  his 
kindness  and  tact,  soon  succeeded  in  gaining  the  good-will  of 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  kept  during  his  residence  at  Blaye  an 
exhaustive  journal,  which  was  published  by  his  son,  Dr.  E. 
Meniere,  in  1882,  and  is  a  work  of  the  greatest  interest.  In 
this  he  relates  how,  at  the  end  of  March  1833,  he  received  a 
summons  to  Paris,  where  the  Ministers  desired  to  question  him 
personally  as  to  the  health  of  his  royal  patient.  After  being 
minutely  interrogated  by  the  whole  Cabinet,  severally  and 
collectively,  with  the  result  that  it  was  decided  that  Madame 
should  lie  in  at  Blaye,  he  received  a  command  to  present  him- 
self at  the  Tuileries.  Louis-Philippe  received  him  with  his 
usual  amiability  ;  thanked  him  for  the  care  he  was  taking  of  his 
niece ;  inquired  if  the  latter  were  much  incensed  against  him  ; 
begged  the  doctor  to  assure  her  that  he  had  been  in  complete 
ignorance  of  Thiers'  negotiations  with  Deutz,  and  that,  in  regard 
to  her  incarceration  at  Blaye,  his  hand  had  been  forced  by  his 
Ministers,  and  that,  deeply  to  his  regret,  he  had  been  obliged 
to  subordinate  his  personal  feelings  to  reasons  of  State.  Then 
he  said  :  "  The  Queen  would  have  liked  to  see  you,  Monsieur 
le  Docteur,  to  recommend  to  you  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  but 
you  will  understand  the  sentiment  of  modesty  which  restrains 
her.  The  position  of  our  niece  is  of  a  nature  to  clash  with 
all  her  Majesty's  instincts  of  a  woman  and  a  relative.  She 
has  not  had  the  courage  to  overcome  the  embarrassment 
which  this  interview  would  occasion  her,  and  you  must  be  so 
good  as  to  excuse  her." 

Meniere,  who  was  himself  firmly  convinced  of  the  marriage  of 
his  royal  patient,  could  scarcely  believe  his  ears.  "  I  considered 
it  to  be  my  duty,"  he  writes,  "  to  say  at  this  juncture  that  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  had  declared  that  she  was  married,  and  that 
everything  in  her  conduct  and  in  her  words,  since  I  had  had  the 
honour  of  being  admitted  to  her,  appeared  to  be  in  complete 
harmony  with  her  declaration."  "What  you  tell  me,"  rejoined 
the  King,  "  gives  me  the  greatest  pleasure.  I  will  inform  the 
Queen,  who  will  not  be  less  happy  than  I." 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

The  Government  insist  that  the  accouchement  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  shall  take 
place  in  the  presence  of  official  witnesses,  in  order  that  her  supposed  dishonour  may 
be  established  beyond  dispute — Intolerable  surveillance  to  which  the  princess  is 
subjected — Violent  scene  between  Madame  and  General  Bugeaud — Precautions  taken 
by  the  latter  to  ensure  the  publicity  of  the  event — The  princess  consents  to  the 
conditions  which  the  Government  desires  to  impose — She  gives  birth  to  a  daughter 
on  the  morning  of  May  10,  1833,  and  causes  it  to  be  announced  that  she  is  the  wife 
of  the  Count  Ettore  Lucchesi-Palli — The  marriage  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and 
Lucchesi-Palli  no  longer  contestable — The  marriage  deed  in  the  archives  of  the 
Vicariat  at  Rome — The  letters  in  the  archives  of  the  Chateau  of  Brunnsee — Twofold 
importance  of  these  letters,  which  establish  not  only  the  marriage,  but  the  legitimacy 
of  the  child  born  at  Blaye — The  story  of  Madame's  secret  journey  to  Rotterdam,  at 
first  received  with  incredulity,  confirmed  by  them  and  the  testimony  of  Madame 
Harson — Question  whether  Lucchesi  visited  the  princess  at  Nantes — Proof  adduced 
by  M.  Thirria — Reasons  which  induced  the  princess  to  guard  the  secret  of  her 
morganatic  union — Her  letter  to  Chateaubriand — Sad  results  of  the  scandal  which 
her  silence  has  provoked — Acquittal  of  the  leaders  of  the  insurrection — Chateau- 
briand's visit  to  Prague — Departure  of  Madame  from  Blaye — She  sails  for  Palermo, 
where  she  is  received  by  her  husband,  and  disappears  into  private  life. 

THE  Ministry  had  not  only  resolved  that  Madame  should 
remain  in  prison  until  after  the  birth  of  her  child,  but 
they  had  the  barbarity  to  insist  that  the  event  should 
take  place  coram  publico.  Never  did  government  attach  more 
importance  to  a  great  diplomatic  or  military  victory  than  did 
the  Ministers  of  Louis-Philippe  to  the  realisation  of  this 
programme.  It  seemed  to  them  that  the  July  Monarchy  would 
be  for  ever  consolidated,  if  what  they  believed  to  be  the 
dishonour  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  were  placed  beyond  all 
possibility  of  doubt ;  and  they  took  as  many  precautions  to 
assure  the  authenticity  of  this  birth  as  had  the  Government  of 
Louis  XVIII.  to  prevent  any  one  from  denying  the  birth  of  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux. 

As  the  time  approached,  the  surveillance  to  which  the 
prisoner  was  subjected  became  more  and  more  rigorous. 
Doctors,  officers,  gendarmes,  and  detectives  spied  upon  her 
incessantly,  and  there  was  scarcely  an  hour  of  the  day  or  night 
when  she  could  be  sure  of  being  free  from  prying  eyes.     The 

364 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  365 

unhappy  princess  protested  vigorously  against  this  treatment, 
of  which  the  kind-hearted  Meniere  endeavoured  vainly  to 
secure  some  amelioration,  and  stormy  scenes  between  her  and 
Bugeaud  were  by  no  means  infrequent.  A  particularly  violent 
one  occurred  on  April  24,  when  the  following  conversation 
took  place : — 

Bugeaud:  "Madame,  your  party  denies  everything  and 
intends  to  deny  everything.  I  am,  accordingly,  authorised  to 
take  all  the  precautions  necessary  to  prove  the  event ;  I  owe  it 
to  the  country  and  to  the  King." 

The  Princess :  "  What  are  these  precautions  ? " 

Bugeaud:  "Madame,  from  May  1,  I  shall  make  an  officer 
and  M.  Meniere  sleep  in  the  salon  adjoining  your  apartment." 

The  Princess :  "  I  refuse  to  have  the  officer." 

Bugeaud:  "Madame,  I  shall  be  sorry  to  oppose  you,  but, 
having  fulfilled  all  my  duties  towards  you,  it  remains  for  me  to 
fulfil  the  others." 

The  Princess :  "  It  is  an  infamy !  .  .  .  I  see  that  they  wish 
to  cause  me  to  die  !     To  place  gendarmes  in  my  room ! " 

Bugeatid:  "Madame,  they  will  not  be  in  your  room,  but 
only  in  the  salon." 

The  Princess :  "  I  shall  lock  my  door." 

Bugeaud:  "That,  Madame,  cannot  be  permitted." 

The  Princess :  "  Do  you  believe  that  I  intend  to  kill  my 
child?" 

Bugeaud:  "No,  Madame,  I  do  not  believe  it;  but,  as  there 
were  people  who  doubted  whether  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  was 
your  son,  they  may  doubt  your  accouchement,  if  there  are  no 
witnesses.  But,  Madame,  promise  me  on  your  honour  that  you 
will  summon  M.  Meniere  at  the  first  symptoms,  and  I  will  place 
the  officer  in  the  adjoining  corridor." 

The  Princess :  "  You  ought  to  rely  on  my  good  faith." 

Bugeatid :  "Madame,  it  would  not  be  a  breach  of  good 
faith  to  fail  to  do  what  one  has  not  promised." 

The  Princess :  "  It  is  horrible !     It  is  a  frightful  tyranny !  " 

"  With  that,"  says  Bugeaud,  "  she  rose  in  fury,  rushed  into 
her  room,  and  slammed  the  door  violently." x 

As  Madame  refused  to  give  him  the  promise  he  required, 
the  general  redoubled  his  precautions.  "  I  believe,"  he  writes, 
"  that  I  have  taken  all  the  precautions  imaginable  to  be  warned 
1  Bugeaud  to  d'Argout,  April  24,  1 833,  in  Nauroy. 


366  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

of  the  first  symptoms.  ...  I  have  a  sous-officier  on  the  watch 
underneath  the  floor,  and  in  the  night  an  officer  goes  several 
times  to  her  door.  During  the  day,  we  visit  her  five  times  : 
Meniere  from  one  to  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  myself  from 
two  to  four,  and  Meniere  again  from  seven  to  ten  or  eleven  in 
the  evening.  In  the  intervals,  the  officer  on  duty  enters  under 
one  pretext  or  another.  From  the  ioth,  my  witnesses  will  sleep 
in  the  citadel.  In  the  day,  I  shall  warn  them  by  three  cannon- 
shots  from  the  vessel  in  the  harbour."  * 

At  the  same  time,  Bugeaud  warned  the  princess  that,  unless 
the  birth  of  her  child  were  proved  by  the  most  unimpeachable 
evidence,  the  Government  would  refuse  to  restore  her  to  liberty. 
This  had  the  desired  effect,  and,  on  May  7,  the  princess 
"  promised  on  her  word  of  honour  to  execute  the  following 
conditions  :  — 

1.  "She  will  give  us  warning  at  the  appearance  of  the  first 

symptoms ; 

2.  "  She  will  consent  that  the  delegated   authorities  shall 

enter  her  apartment,  to  visit  her  and  to  establish  her 
identity ; 

3.  "  She  will  declare  to  the  delegates,  after  her  accouchement, 

that  the  new-born  child,  who  will  have  been  shown 
to  them,  belongs  to  her." 

In  return,  Bugeaud  engaged,  on  behalf  of  the  Government, 
that  she  should  be  set  at  liberty  as  soon  as  she  was  con- 
valescent.2 

Three  days  later  (May  10),  at  twenty  minutes  past  three  in 
the  morning,  in  the  presence  of  the  doctors  Meniere,  Deneux, 
and  Dubois,  General  Bugeaud,  the  sous-prefet,  the  deputy-mayor, 
the  commandant  of  the  National  Guard,  the  president  of  the 
tribunal  of  first  instance,  the  procureur  du  roit  the  cure"  of  Blaye, 
and  the  commissary  of  police,  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  gave  birth 
to  a  daughter.3    "  The  presence  of  all  these  witnesses,"  observes 

1  Bugeaud  to  d'Argout,  May  4,  1833,  in  Nauroy. 

i  Bugeaud  to  d'Argout,  May  7,  1833,  in  Nauroy. 

3  "The  President  Pastoureau  approached  the  princess  and  addressed  to  her,  in  a 
loud  voice,  the  following  questions  :  '  Is  it  Madame  la  duchesse  de  Berry  to  whom  I 
have  the  honour  to  speak  ? '  '  Yes.'  '  You  are  certainly  Madame  la  duchesse  de 
Berry  ? '  •  Yes,  Monsieur.'  '  Is  the  new-born  child  who  is  with  you  yours  ?  '  '  Yes, 
Monsieur,  this  child  is  mine.'  '  Of  what  sex  is  it?'  'It  is  of  the  feminine  sex.  I 
have,  moreover,  charged  M.  Deneux  to  make  a  declaration  to  this  effect.' " — Bugeaud 
to  d'Argout,  May  10,  1833. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  367 

Thirria,  "  clearly  demonstrates — for  it  was  no  longer  a  question 
of  the  birth  of  a  Child  of  France — that  the  imprisonment  had 
taken  place  not  in  chastisement  of  the  Vendeen  rising,  but  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  an  accouchement  public  and  shameful." 

But,  to  the  general  astonishment,  the  princess,  so  far  from 
exhibiting  any  sign  of  shame,  was  radiant  with  pride  and 
happiness.  "He  will  be  very  pleased,"  she  cried  gaily;  "he 
who  was  so  anxious  for  a  daughter !  I  told  him  that  I  was 
sure  of  it ;  but  he  was  as  incredulous  as  these  gentlemen  of  the 
Faculty." » 

Then  she  called  Deneux,  and  said  to  him :  "  When  the 
declaration  of  birth  is  made,  you  will  name  the  father  of  my 
child.  I  desire  that  his  name  be  inscribed  on  the  proces- 
verbal?  2  And,  a  few  minutes  later,  Deneux  entered  the  salon, 
in  which  all  the  witnesses  were  assembled,  and,  "  in  a  loud  and 
intelligible  voice,"  read  the  following  declaration  : 

"  I  have  just  delivered  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
spouse  in  legitimate  marriage  of  the  Count  Ettore  Lucchesi-Palli, 
of  the  Princes  of  Campo-Franco,  Gentleman  of  the  Chamber 
of  the  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  domiciled  at  Palermo." 3 

The  marriage  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  and  the  Count 
Lucchesi-Palli,  which  the  Orleanists  affected  to  regard  with 
incredulity,  asserting  that  the  count  had  been  persuaded  by 
Ferdinand  II.  and  the  Royal  Family  of  Naples  to  cover  the 
princess's  frailty,  and  which,  until  quite  recently,  certain 
historians  were  still  found  to  question,  is  no  longer  contest- 
able, save  by  those  who  see  a  forgery  in  almost  every  historical 
document.  It  had  been  celebrated  in  Rome  on  December  14, 
183 1 — seventeen  months  before  the  birth  of  the  little  girl  born 
at  Blaye — by  the  Jesuit  Father  Rozaven,4  to  whom  Gregory  XVI. 
had  granted  a  special  dispensation.  The  marriage-deed  was 
discovered,  some  twelve  years  ago,  in  the  secret  archives  of  the 
Vicariat,  by  M.  Thirria,  who  has  published  an  authentic  copy 
of  the  document  in  his  admirable  monograph  on  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry : 

1  Dr.  Meniere,  la  Captivite  de  Madame  la  duchesse  de  Berry  a  Blaye. 
-  Dr.  Meniere. 

3  Meniere ;  Bugeaud  to  d'Argout,  May  io,  1833. 

4  Jean  Louis  de  Lessegues  de  Rozaven  ;  born  at  Quimper,  in  Brittany,  March  9, 
1772  ;  died  at  Rome,  April  2,  1851.  He  was  one  of  the  most  learned  Jesuits  of  his 
time,  and  the  author  of  a  number  of  erudite  theological  works  in  various  languages. 


368  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

"  Fidem  facio  subscriptus,  Almae  urbis  tribunalis,  vicariatus 
secretarius,  in  libro  primo  Matrimoniorum,  qui  in  hac  secretaria 
asservatur,  pagina  117,  sequentem  reperiri  particulam  ;  videlicet : 
14  December  1831 — I,  the  undersigned,  certify  that  H.R.H. 
Marie  Caroline  Ferdinande  Louise,  Duchesse  de  Berry  and 
M.  Ettore  Carlo,  Count  Lucchesi-Palli  di  Campo-Franco,  having 
addressed  themselves  to  me,  confessor,  to  be  united  secretly  by 
the  bonds  of  marriage,  reasons  of  State  of  the  highest  import- 
ance preventing  this  from  being  publicly  celebrated,  furnished 
with  all  the  special  faculties  necessary  to  proceed  to  this  union 
in  the  most  profound  secrecy,  I  have  united  them  in  legitimate 
marriage,  without  the  presence  of  witnesses,  as  I  had  power  to 
do.  In  token  whereof  three  copies  of  the  present  deed  have 
been  written  by  my  hand,  two  for  the  contracting  parties,  the 
third  to  remain  in  the  secret  archives  of  the  Vicariat  of  Rome, 
in  witness  of  the  truth.  Rome,  14  December  1831.  Jean  Louis 
Rozaven.  We,  the  undersigned,  certify  the  truth  of  the  above 
deed,  Rome,  the  fourteenth  December,  eighteen  hundred  and 
thirty-one.     Marie  Caroline — Ettore  Carlo  Lucchesi-Palli. 

"  Datum  Romae  e  secretaria  vicariatus,  hac  die  tertia  mensis 
Januarii,  anno  1899. 

"Petrus  Chicchi 

"  Secretarius  " 

If  there  were  need  of  any  further  testimony,  it  would  be 
forthcoming  in  the  shape  of  two  letters,  both  in  Italian,  which 
were  found  by  the  Vicomte  de  Reiset  in  the  archives  of  the 
Chateau  of  Brunnsee,  in  Styria,  where  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
passed  the  last  years  of  her  life,  and  which  is  now  the  property 
of  her  son  by  Lucchesi,  the  Duke  della  Grazia.  The  first, 
which  was  written  by  Lucchesi  to  the  princess,  at  Nantes,  is  as 
follows : 

"  How  long,  my  angelic  wife  (angelica  mia  sposa),  am  I  to 
lament  in  this  state  ?  Your  rapid  journey,  which  exposed  you  to 
so  many  dangers,  has  been  for  me  a  torment  the  more,  although 
I  owe  to  it  the  happiness  of  having  see?i  you  again.  I  owe  it  to 
you  and  to  the  world  to  remain  indifferent  to  all  that  concerns 
you,  and  even  if  you  were  obliged  to  declare  my  happiness,  you 
wish  my  name  to  remain  unknown.  What  fate  is  mine !  To 
you,  duty  is  everything ;    I  am  all   despair.      Release   me,   I 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  369 

entreat  you,  from  this  promise,  which  makes  the  unhappiness 
of  every  instant  of  my  life  ;  trust  in  my  prudence.  Do  you  not 
think  my  heart  would  watch  over  you  ?     Farewell.     E.  L." 

The  second  letter  is  a  reply  to  a  later  one  of  the  count, 
written  by  Madame  apparently  towards  the  end  of  her  imprison- 
ment at  Blaye,1  whence  she  succeeded  in  getting  a  few  letters 
passed  out,  through  the  complaisance  of  the  cure. 

"I  am  equally  impatient,  as  you  may  suppose,  my  dear 
Ettore,  to  see  you  again,  but  I  should  be  afraid  for  your  sake 
if  I  made  you  come  to  a  country  where  I  am  in  prison,  and 
where  perhaps  you  might  have  to  submit  to  the  same  fate. 
My  only  consolation  is  to  have  received  your  precious  news 
and  those  of  my  children  ;  but  too  rare  it  is,  and  how  I  long  to 
confide  to  the  bosom  of  my  Ettore,  my  best  friend,  all  the 
details  of  what  I  have  suffered  !  You  can  form  no  idea  of  it ; 
but  what  consoles  me,  is  that  you  have  not  been  a  witness  of 
it ;  with  your  heart  so  tender  and  so  sensitive,  you  would  have 
suffered  a  cruel  punishment. 

"  I  give  you  back  your  promise ;  you  may  speak  of  our 
marriage  to  our  relatives  and  then  to  our  friends  ;  the  conse- 
quences of  my  rapid  journey  will  soon  oblige  me  to  make  our 
union  known.  Adieu,  dear  husband;  may  God  soon  reunite 
you  to  your  affectionate 

"Caroline"2 

These  letters,  which  M.  de  Reiset  declares  to  be  of  incon- 
testable authenticity,  are  of  twofold  importance.  Not  only  do 
they  establish  the  marriage,  but  they  establish  the  legitimacy 
of  the  child  born  at  Blaye  as  well,  which  was  contested  by 
many  even  of  those  who  were  prepared  to  admit  the  marriage, 
on  the  ground  that  no  proof  existed  of  cohabitation  between 
the  parties  since  Madame' s  return  to  France  at  the  end  of 
April  1832 — that  is  to  say,  more  than  thirteen  months  before 
her  child  was  born. 

The  "rapid  journey"  to  which  both  the  count  and  the 
princess  refer — this  "  rapid  journey  "  which  had  "  exposed  her 
{Madame)  to  so  many  dangers,"  to  which  Lucchesi  "  owed  the 

1  It  obviously  cannot  be  an  answer  to  the  one  cited  above,  as  M.  de  Reiset  seems 
to  suppose. 

2  Vicomte  de  Reiset,  Marie-Carolinc,  duchesse  de  Berry. 

2  B 


370  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

happiness  of  having  seen  her  again,"  and  "the  consequences 
of  which  would  soon  oblige  her  to  make  their  union  known" — 
was  a  journey  from  Nantes  to  Rotterdam  and  back  again, 
undertaken  by  Madame  at  the  end  of  July  1832.  Its  object 
was  mainly  political,  namely,  to  negotiate  through  the  Russian 
Minister  at  The  Hague,  where  Lucchesi  was  at  this  time  repre- 
senting Ferdinand  II.  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  a  renewal  of  the 
alliance  between  France  and  Russia,  destroyed  by  the  Revolu- 
tion of  1830,  in  the  event  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux  recovering 
his  throne,  which  we  presume  would  have  implied,  in  the 
meanwhile,  very  strong  moral  support  for  the  young  prince 
from  St.  Petersburg,  if  a  favourable  opportunity  for  exercising 
it  should  arise.  So  fearful  was  the  princess  lest,  if  her  journey 
were  ever  to  become  known,  she  should  be  accused  of  seeking 
the  armed  intervention  of  the  foreigner,  and  the  cause  of  her 
son  be  thereby  prejudiced,  that  she  took  the  most  elaborate 
precautions  to  conceal  her  absence  from  Nantes,  even  from  her 
most  faithful  adherents.  The  inmates  of  the  house  in  the  Rue 
Haute-du-Chateau  and  one  or  two  other  persons  alone  were 
warned  of  it,  and,  as  a  further  precaution,  she  left  with  them 
her  ciphers,  and  documents  signed  en  blanc.  Moreover,  she 
impressed  upon  those  who  were  subsequently  taken  into  her 
confidence  that  nothing  concerning  this  journey  was  to  be 
allowed  to  transpire  so  long  as  the  Comte  de  Chambord  were 
alive  ;  and  it  was  not,  indeed,  until  more  than  twenty  years 
after  that  prince's  death  that  the  facts  were  made  known  to  the 
public  by  the  Baron  de  Mesnard,  nephew  of  Madame 's  faithful 
friend  and  reputed  lover,  in  an  article  which  he  published  in 
the  Revue  angevine  in  May  1902.  Thus,  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  who  might  have  easily  put  herself  right  with  the  world 
and  established  beyond  all  dispute  the  legitimacy  of  the  child 
born  at  Blaye,  preferred  the  interests  of  her  son  to  her  own 
reputation  as  a  woman. 

M.  de  Mesnard  gives  some  interesting  details  of  Madame 's 
mysterious  journey  to  Rotterdam. 

"  She  had,"  he  writes,  "  less  fear  of  being  recognised  in  that 
town  than  at  The  Hague,  where  her  husband,  the  Count 
Lucchesi-Palli,  was  charge-d 'affaires  of  Ferdinand  II.  of  the 
Two  Sicilies.  The  princess  left  the  house  of  the  Miles,  du 
Guigny,  accompanied  by  a  woman  whose  presence  of  mind 
equalled  her  devotion,  and   disguised,  like   her,  as  a  servant. 


CARLO    ETTORE,   CONTE   LUCCHESI-PALLI    DI   CAMPOFRANCO 
(AFTERWARDS   DUCA   DELLA   GRAZIA) 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE  371 

The  journey,  which  occupied  nearly  a  month,  passed  off  like 
her  other  two  journeys  in  France,  some  time  before,  thanks  to 
the  concurrence  of  fortunate  circumstances,  of  which  Madame 
cared  to  speak  but  little,  in  the  fear  that  certain  curious  and 
piquant  details  might  promote  indiscretions  compromising  for 
the  secret  to  which  she  attached  a  capital  importance.  How- 
ever, in  a  moment  of  expansion,  she  happened  to  relate  one 
day  that,  while  on  her  way  to  Rotterdam,  she  had  experienced 
intense  alarm  at  Montmedy,  a  little  town  near  the  frontier 
of  Luxembourg,  whence  she  was  to  gain  Holland.  The  princess 
believed  that  she  was  recognised  by  a  young  officer,  who 
happened  to  be  in  the  same  inn  as  1  herself.  But  the  latter, 
immediately  approaching  the  traveller,  seized  her  gaily  round 
the  waist,  as  he  might  have  done  to  a  servant,  whose  costume 
she  was  wearing,  and  said  to  her,  in  a  low  tone :  '  Be  assured, 
Madame ;  by  my  convictions  I  belong  to  the  Republican  party, 
but,  in  the  French  army,  there  is  not  an  officer  capable  of 
denouncing  a  proscribed  and  fugitive  woman.'  The  princess, 
transported  with  gratitude,  embraced  the  brave  officer,  which 
amused  the  people  who  were  in  the  room,  who  had  not  re- 
marked the  very  natural  uneasiness  which  Madame  had  expe- 
rienced for  some  minutes. 

"  Despite  the  entreaties  of  the  person  who  had  accompanied 
her,  and  the  touching  instances  of  the  Count  Lucchesi-Palli, 
who  had  not  the  same  faith  as  she  in  the  possibility  of  a  fresh 
rising  in  Vendee,  and  who,  in  the  most  profound  secrecy,  had 
come  twice  to  Rotterdam,  the  princess  insisted  on  returning 
to  Nantes.  She  said  to  them  :  '  One  of  these  fine  mornings 
we  may  hear  that  a  Republican  insurrection  has  overturned 
the  throne  usurped  by  Louis-Philippe.  Confronted  by  anarchy, 
the  French,  terrified,  will  wish  to  return  to  the  legitimate 
Monarchy.  At  the  head  of  the  brave  Vendeen  peasants,  I  shall 
bring  Henri  V.  back  to  Paris.  In  1830,  Charles  X.  prevented 
me  from  profiting  by  the  good  disposition  of  the  people 
towards  me.  This  feebleness  cost  him  the  throne.  Never  will 
Restoration  be  more  national.  My  place  is  there  at  Nantes, 
in  the  midst  of  the  faithful  inhabitants  of  the  West.  My 
duty  to  myself,  grand-daughter  of  Henri  IV.,  is  to  return  to 
that  town,  which  I  ought  never  to  quit,  except  to  take  part 
in  the  rising,  for  which  I  shall  give  the  signal  at  the  moment 
when  a  new  Republican  movement  breaks  out  in  Paris.     The 


372  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

struggle  will  recommence  in  Vendee  with  a  new  ardour.  .  .  . 
The  counter-order  ruined  everything  in  May  ;  but,  this  time, 
there  will  be  no  counter-order,  and,  for  the  happiness  of  the 
country,  I  shall  restore  to  Henri  V.  that  Crown  of  France  which 
belongs  to  him.  From  the  windows  of  the  Miles,  du  Guignys' 
house  I  have  had  before  my  eyes,  for  two  months,  the  Chateau 
of  Nantes,  where  my  ancestor  Henri  IV.  signed  the  immortal 
edict  which  put  an  end  to  sixty  years  of  civil  and  religious  war- 
fare, and  restored  peace  to  exhausted  France.  With  God's  aid, 
it  will  be  from  Nantes  that,  for  the  second  time,  will  come  the 
salvation  of  France,  which,  with  its  legitimate  King,  will  recover 
the  Russian  alliance  so  necessary  to  the  two  countries.' " 

The  writer  concluded  by  stating  that  his  article  had  been 
inspired  by  "  a  noble  woman,  who  modestly  remained  anony- 
mous, but  who  desired,  before  her  death,  to  bear  testimony  to 
the  patriotism  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry." 

The  story  of  Madame* s  journey  to  Holland  at  first  provoked 
a  good  deal  of  incredulity,  and  it  was  pointed  out  that  the  Baron 
de  Charette,  who  was  the  soul  of  honour,  and  the  Miles,  de 
Kersabicc  had  declared,  in  the  most  positive  terms,  that  the 
princess  had  never  once  quitted  the  Du  Guignys'  house,  from 
the  time  she  entered  it  until  the  day  of  her  arrest.  M.  de  Reiset, 
however,  in  the  course  of  a  long  controversy  in  the  Intermediare 
dcs  cliercJieurs  et  curieux'm  1904-5,  stated  that  a  Madame  H  .  .  .,* 
an  old  lady  who  had  been  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  in  the  princess's  later  years  and  possessed  her  entire 
confidence,  had  confirmed  M.  de  Mesnard's  story,  and  added 
that  he  possessed  documentary  evidence  of  its  truth  which 
ought  to  convince  the  most  sceptical.  This  evidence,  which  he 
published  in  his  monograph  on  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  a  few 
months  later,  was,  of  course,  the  two  letters  already  cited. 

Until  the  revelation  of  the  journey  to  Rotterdam,  historians 
who  believed  in  the  legitimacy  of  the  child  had  always  asserted 
that  the  cohabitation  had  taken  place  at  Nantes,  whither  Luc- 
chesi  had  come  incognito  to  visit  the  princess.  "  M.  Lucchesi," 
says  Madame  de  Gontaut,  "  was  charged  by  Madame  to  carry 
her  manifestoes  into  la  Vendee "  ;  and  the  Comte  de  Roche- 
chouart,  who  represented  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  The  Hague 
at  the  time  that  Lucchesi  was  there,  writes  in  his  Souvenirs ; 

1  Madame  Harson,  who  lived  with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  as  her  leclricc  for  many 
years. 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  373 

"  I  found  at  The  Hague  the  Comte  Lucchesi-Palli,  a  friend  of 
Madame's  childhood ;  he  was  acting  in  the  same  interests  as 
myself,  and  testified  so  profound  an  affection  and  so  great  a 
devotion  for  the  princess  that  our  relations  became  very  intimate. 
I  saw  him  every  day.  He  made,  however,  one  or  two  journeys, 
each  lasting  about  a  month,  and  it  was  asserted  subsequently 
that  he  had  gone  to  Nantes.  For  myself,  I  never  knew  the 
cause  of  his  absence." 

The  statements  of  Madame  de  Gontaut,  though  they  cer- 
tainly point  to  the  probability  of  Lucchesi  being  at  Nantes  in 
the  summer  of  1832,  cannot,  of  course,  be  considered  as  evidence 
that  he  was  actually  there.  But  what  M.  Thirria  considers  a 
conclusive  proof  was  discovered  by  him  in  the  Archives  Na- 
tionales.  On  May  7,  1833 — three  days  before  the  birth  of  her 
child — the  Duchesse  de  Berry  wrote  to  Chateaubriand,  inform- 
ing him  of  her  marriage  to  Lucchesi,  and  begging  him  to 
proceed  to  Prague,  where  Charles  X.  and  the  other  members 
of  the  exiled  Royal  Family  had  now  established  themselves, 
and  break  the  news  to  them.  And  in  a  postscript,  after  speak- 
ing of  a  treaty  which  she  had  been  endeavouring  to  negotiate 
with  William  I.,  King  of  Holland,  which  was  to  provide  for  the 
reunion  of  Belgium  to  France,  in  the  event  of  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux  securing  his  throne,  she  added  :  "  The  Comte  Lucchesi 
was  charged  by  me  to  make  the  first  overtures  on  the  subject ; 
he  contributed  powerfully  to  their  favourable  reception."  Well, 
these  first  overtures  appear  to  have  been  made  at  the  end  of 
June  1832,  and  on  July  19  the  Prince  of  Orange,  son  of 
William  I.,  wrote  to  Madame,  in  answer  to  a  letter  of  hers 
which  he  had  received  a  few  days  before ;  and  he  concludes 
thus :  "  It  is  the  person  who  has  remitted  to  me  your  Royal 
Highness's  letter  whom  I  am  entrusting  with  this."  "This 
person,"  observes  M.  Thirria,  "was  Lucchesi,  who  came  then 
secretly  to  Nantes  precisely  at  the  time  when  the  conception  of 
the  child  born  at  Blaye  the  following  year  must  have  taken 
place."  x 

As  for  the  reasons  which  induced  Madame  to  guard  the 

1  E.  Thirria,  la  Duchesse  de  Berry.  M.  Thirria  wrote  two  years  before  the 
Baron  de  Mesnarcl  published  his  article  in  the  Revue  angevhie.  If,  as  the  latter 
states,  Madame  set  out  for  Holland  "at  the  end  of  July,"  it  seems  not  improbable 
that  Lucchesi  delivered  the  Prince  of  Orange's  letter  to  her  at  Rotterdam,  instead 
of  at  Nantes. 


374  A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 

secret  of  her  marriage  from  even  her  most  intimate  friends,  they 
are  easy  to  understand.  "  It  was,"  writes  the  Comte  de  Roche- 
chouart,  "impossible  for  her. to  divulge  her  morganatic  union  at 
the  moment  when  she  was  undertaking  her  campaign  in  la 
Vendee ;  she  would  have  lost  all  her  prestige,  and  have  com- 
promised the  success  of  the  expedition  ;  and,  finally,  she  knew 
that  Charles  X.  would  have  been  extremely  angry,  and  have 
deprived  her  of  the  powers  of  Regent,  granted  by  the  Holyrood 
proclamation  of  January  27,  183 1." 

And  Madame  herself  says  in  her  letter  of  May  7  to 
Chateaubriand  : — 

"  I  charge  you  then,  Monsieur,  to  go  specially  to  Prague  and 
tell  my  relatives  that,  if  I  refused  up  to  February  22  to  declare 
my  secret  marriage,  my  intention  was  to  serve  further  the  cause 
of  my  son,  and  to  prove  that  a  mother,  a  Bourbon,  did  not  fear 
to  expose  her  life.  I  reckoned  only  to  make  known  my  marriage 
at  my  son's  majority  ;  *  but  the  threats  of  the  Government,  the 
moral  tortures,  pushed  to  the  last  degree,  decided  me  to  make 
this  declaration.  In  the  ignorance  in  which  I  am  of  the  time 
at  which  my  liberty  will  be  restored  to  me,  after  so  many  hopes 
deceived,  it  is  time  to  give  to  my  family  and  to  all  Europe  an 
explanation  which  may  prevent  injurious  suppositions.  I 
should  have  desired  to  be  able  to  do  so  sooner  ;  but  an  abso- 
lute isolation,  and  the  insurmountable  difficulties  of  communi- 
cating with  the  outside  world,  have  hitherto  prevented  me. 
You  will  tell  my  family  that  I  was  married,  in  Italy,  to  the 
Count  Ettore  Lucchesi-Palli,  of  the  princes  of  Campo- Franco." 

The  Duchesse  de  Berry  remained  at  Blaye  for  a  month  after 
the  birth  of  her  little  daughter,  who  was  baptized  by  the  names 
of  Anne  Marie  Rosalie.  Her  position  was  a  very  sad  one.  In 
the  chimerical  hope  of  concealing  her  marriage  and  of  preserving 
her  political  rights,  she  had  provoked  a  scandal  which  had  humi- 
liated her  family,  ruined  her  party,  and  rendered  herself  for  ever 
impossible,  from  the  political  point  of  view.2 

1  That  is  to  say,  when  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  the  age  at  which  the  kings  of 
France  attained  their  majority. 

2  Great  as  was  the  scandal,  it  was  rendered  infinitely  worse  by  the  maladroit 
conduct  of  the  more  violent  Legitimists,  of  whom  the  Quotidienne  was  the  mouth- 
piece. These  gentlemen,  after  denying  the  pregnancy,  denied  the  accouchement,  and 
deposited  at  the  Bar  of  Paris,  against  the  Ministers,  and  at  the  Bar  of  Bordeaux 


A  PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE  375 

One  consolation  for  the  princess,  in  the  midst  of  her  misfor- 
tunes, was  that  the  friends  who  had  been  arrested  with  her  at 
Nantes  had  not  suffered  for  their  loyalty  to  her  cause.  Mesnard, 
Guibourg,  and  the  Miles,  du  Guigny  had  been  all  acquitted  ; 
Stylite  de  Kersabiec  had  not  even  been  brought  to  trial,  as,  on 
her  friends  promising  to  take  her  abroad  for  a  few  months,  she 
was  released.  The  persons  captured  on  board  the  Carlo 
Alberto  and  the  leaders  of  the  comic-opera  insurrection  at 
Marseilles  had  likewise  recovered  their  liberty.  The  leniency 
with  which  the  Government  treated  the  leaders  of  the  move- 
ment was  in  striking  contrast  to  the  punishment  meted  out 
to  the  unfortunate  Vendeen  peasants  who  had  fallen  into 
its  hands,  many  of  whom  were  sentenced  to  long  terms  of 
penal  servitude. 

On  May  26,  Chateaubriand,  charged  by  Madame  to  inform 
the  exiled  Royal  Family  of  her  marriage,  arrived  at  Prague. 
He  found  Charles  X.  frankly  sceptical  about  that  event.  "  Ah, 
well ! "  said  he,  "  let  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  go  to  Palermo  ;  let 
her  live  there  maritally  with  M.  Lucchesi,  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
world.  Then  we  will  tell  her  children  that  their  mother  is 
married  ;  and  she  can  come  and  embrace  them."  1 

Madame  had  already  decided  on  the  course  suggested  by 
the  old  King,  and  on  June  8  she  sailed  for  Palermo,  on  board 
a  French  corvette,  the  Agathe.  The  Government,  by  way  of 
inflicting  a  final  humiliation  upon  its  unfortunate  prisoner — or 
what  it  believed  would  be  a  humiliation — sent  instructions  to 
Bugeaud  that  her  departure  should  take  place  in  the  daytime, 
and  caused  a  notification  of  the  event  to  be  circulated  in  all  the 
country  round,  in  the  form  of  an  order  enjoining  upon  the  people 
to  treat  her  with  respect.  "  It  is  necessary,"  wrote  d'Argout, 
"that  thousands  may  be  able  to  say  that  they  have  seen  the 
duchess  and  her  child  leaving  the  citadel." 

Madame  was  accompanied  by  her  little  girl  and  her  nurse, 
Bugeaud  and  his  aide-de-camp,  Saint-Arnaud  —  the  future 
marshal,  who  commanded  the  French  in  the  early  part  of  the 
Crimean  War — Mesnard,  the  Prince  and  Princesse  de  Beaufre- 
mont,  Drs.  Deneux  and  Meniere,  and  her  femmes  de  c/iam&re, 

against  the  w;tnesses  who  had  signed  the  proch-verbal,  a  denunciation  "pour  cause 
de  presomption  legale  du  crime  de  supposition  d' enfant"  which  was  published  in  full  in 
their  favourite  organ. 

1  Chateaubriand,  Memoires  d'outre-tombe. 


3?6  A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 

Mile.  Lebeschu  and  Madame  Hansler.  The  voyage  was  un- 
eventful, and  remarkable  only  for  the  persistent  way  in  which 
the  princess  snubbed  Bugeaud.  "  She  treated  me,"  writes  the 
general,  "  as  if  I  had  been  for  her  a  Sir  Hudson  Lowe.  She 
affected  to  keep  away  from  me  and  to  break  off  her  conversa- 
tion whenever  I  approached.  En  revanche,  she  was  friendly 
and  cordial  to  excess  with  the  officers  of  the  Agat/ie."1  The 
officers  of  the  corvette,  from  the  captain  downwards,  sympathized 
with  the  princess,  and  treated  her  late  gaoler  with  marked 
coldness — there  was  never  much  love  lost  between  the  Services 
in  those  days — and  Bugeaud  seems  to  have  had  far  from  a 
pleasant  voyage. 

At  mid-day  on  July  5,  the  Agathe  cast  anchor  in  the  harbour 
of  Palermo.  A  boat,  manned  by  ten  rowers,  in  which  sat  a 
chamberlain  of  the  Viceroy  of  Sicily,  the  Governor  of  Palermo, 
a  Sicilian  admiral,  and  the  Count  Lucchesi-Palli,  came  along- 
side. The  chamberlain  was  ushered  into  the  princess's  cabin 
and  bade  her  welcome  in  the  name  of  the  viceroy.  Lucchesi 
followed,  and  remained  with  his  wife  for  half-an-hour,  when  he 
reappeared,  with  Madame  on  his  arm.  They  remained  on  board 
till  after  dinner,  during  which  the  princess  was  serenaded  by 
the  occupants  of  a  number  of  boats  which  had  gathered  round 
the  vessel.  Then  Madame,  after  a  last  passage  of  arms  with 
Bugeaud,  who  "  begged  her  to  be  convinced  that  no  one  desired 
more  earnestly  than  he  her  happiness — in  Sicily,"  2  took  leave 
of  him  and  the  others  ;  presented  the  captain  of  the  AgatJie  with 
a  piece  of  tapestry  which  she  had  worked  during  the  voyage ; 
gave  a  sum  of  money — equal  to  twenty  days'  pay — to  be 
distributed  among  the  crew,  and  stepped  with  her  husband  into 
the  boat  that  was  waiting  to  convey  them  to  the  shore.  The 
officers  of  the  corvette  drew  up  along  the  starboard  gang- 
way and  saluted  her  with  their  swords  ;  the  sailors  swarmed 
into  the  rigging  and  cheered  lustily ;  and  Marie  Caroline, 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  passed  for  ever  from  the  fierce  glare  of 
publicity  into  the  calm  shadows  of  private  life. 

1  Bugeaud  to  d'Argout,  July  II,  1833. 

2  Bugeaud  to  d'Argout,  July  II,  1833.  Bugeaud  received  from  the  Government 
a  gratification  of  40,000  francs  for  his  services  at  Blaye.  On  his  return  to  Paris,  he 
was  publicly  insulted,  in  the  course  of  a  debate  in  the  Chamber,  by  a  Legitimist 
deputy  named  Dulong.     A  duel  followed,  in  which  Dulong  was  killed. 


INDEX 


Acton,  John,  4  et  seq.,  63 

Acton,  Miss,  246 

Adelaide  de   France,   Madame,  8,  and 

note 
Agoult,  Comtesse  d',  {cited)  24 
Agoult,  Vicomte  d',  67 
Alberto,  of  Naples,  Prince,  10 
Albufera,  Due  d',  182 
Alloa,  Maitre,  85 
Amiens,  Bishop  of,  223 
Amyclee,  Bishop  of,  150,  151 
Andouin,  Madame,  127 
Anglesey,  Marquis  of,  288 
Angouleme,  Due  d\    See  Louis  Antoine, 

Ducd' 
Angouleme,    Duchesse    d\      See   Marie 

Therese,  Duchesse  d' 
Aniche,  Madame,  177 
Argout,  Comte  d',  264  et  seq.,  311,  360, 

365  et  seq.,  376 
Arnould,  Sophie,  1 10 
Artois,  Comte  d\     See  Charles  X. 
Autichamp,  Marquis  d',  160 
Auvity,  Dr.,  357,  358 
Avaray,  Comte  d',  139,  202 


B 


Baccher,  Gerardo,  11,  12 

Baccher,  Vicenzo,  II 

Balbi,  Comtesse  de,  130,  202 

Barande,  M.  de,  235 

Barante,  Baron  de,  157,  295 

Barbencois,  Marquis  de,  235 

Baring,  Miss,  246 

Barone,  Captain,  46 

Barthelemy,  Comte  de,  56 

Barthez,  Dr.,  357,  358 

Bayard,  Chevalier,  65 

Beatrice  of  Savoy,  64 

Beaufremont,  Prince   and  Princesse  de, 

375 
Beaujolais,    Comte   de  (Alphonse  d'Or- 
leans),  18  and  note 


Beauvais,  Bishop  of,  223 

Bellamy,  Madame  (mistress  of  the  Due 

de  Berry),  118 
Bellart,  Francois  de,  56 
Bellune,  Due  de,  56,  300 
Bentinck,  Lord  William,  20  et  seq. 
Beranger,  Pierre,  187 
Berry,   Charles  Ferdinand,  Due  de.  See 

Charles  Ferdinand 
Berry,  Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de.  See 

Marie  Caroline 
Berry,  Miss  Mary,  (cited)  146,   147,  152 
Berryer,  Antoine  P.,  320  et  seq.,  326,  327 
Berthier,  Marechal,  Prince  de  Wagram, 

191 

Bessieres,  Marechal  (Due  d'Istrie),  91 
Bethisy,  Comtesse  de,  37,  48,  105,  106, 

143  et  seq.,  156 
Biron,  Comte  de,  245 
Biron,  Comtesse  de,  246 
Blacas,  Due  de,  25  et  seq,,  130,  202,  292 

et  seq.,  299,  314 
Blacas,  Duchesse  de,  33 
Blancheton,  Dr.,  146,  147 
Blonay,  Mile.  Juliette  de.  See  Mrs.  John 

Freeman 
Blonay,  Baron  William  de,  70 
Boigne,   Comtesse    de,   {cited)   79,   104 

note,   105,    no,   119,    122,    170,    190, 

207,  208,  211,  225,  246,  248,  249 
Bombelles,  Abbe  de,  58,  106,  107,  121, 

123,  182,  197 
Bombelles,  Charles,  Comte  de,  107 
Bonaparte,     Jerome,    King     of     West- 
phalia, 85 
Bonaparte,  Joseph,  King  of  Naples,  16 
Bonaparte,  Louis,  King  of  Holland,  131 
Bonaparte,   Marie    Letizia    (Napoleon's 

mother),  131 
Bonreceuil,  Auguste  de,  308,  328 
Bordeaux,  Due  de.    See  Henri,  Due  de 

Bordeaux,  afterwards  Comte  de  Cham- 

bord 
Borgo,  Pozzo  di,  190 
Bossy,  Marie,  344 
Bouchot,  Henri,   (cited)    109,    129,    228, 

245 
Bougon,  Dr.,  148 
Bougon,  Robineau  de,  349 


377 


178 


A    PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE 


Bouille,  Vicomte  de,  299 

Bouille,  Vicomtesse  de,  37»  4I»  106,  200, 
289,  293,  299 

Bouillon,  Due  de,  96 

Bourbon,  Due  de,  57,  216,  220,  224 

Bourbon,  Duchesse  de,  57,  58,  97 

Bourdonnaye,  Comte  de  la,  268 

Bourgeois,  Madame,  180 

Bourmont,  Marechal  de,  257,  292,  299, 
308,  302  et  seq.,  307 

Bourmont,  Adolphe  de,  299,  303,  310 

Bourmont,  Charles  de,  299,  303,  304 

Briche,  Madame  de  la,  138,  149 

Brissac,  Comte  de,  169,  245,  293,  297, 
299>  302,  3°4>  308,  329>  359.  36° 

Brocard,  Mile.  Caroline,  1 18 

Broglie,  Due  de,  79 

Broglie,  Duchesse  de,  206 

Brown,  Amy  (reputed  wife  of  the  Due 
de  Berry),  at  the  Opera  in,London,  66, 
67  ;  her  two  daughters  by  the  Due  de 
Berry,  67,  68  ;  question  of  the  paternity 
of  the  otherj children,  69  et  seq.  ;  ques- 
tion of  the  reputed  marriage  with  the 
Due  de  Berry  considered,  77  et  seq.  ; 
follows  the  duke  to  Paris  at  the 
Restoration,  89  ;  episode  at  the  Opera, 
89,  90  ;  secretly  visited  by  the  duke, 
91 ;  and  the  assassination  of  the  Due  de 
Berry,  152 

Brown,  Charlotte  M.  A.  (daughter  of  the 
Due  de  Berry),  67  et  seq.,  152,  153,  155. 
156 

Brown,  George  Granville  (reputed  son 
of  the  Due  de  Berry),  67  el  seq. 

Brown,  Louise  Marie  (daughter  of  the  Due 
de  Berry),  67  et  seq.,  152,   153,    155, 

156,  343,  344  . 

Bugeaud  de  la  Picannerie,  General 
(afterwards  Marechal  and  Due  d'Isly), 
appointed  commandant  of  the  town  and 
fortress  of  Blaye,  359  ;  his  career,  259 
note ;  rigorous  surveillance  which  he 
exercises  over  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
360  ;  his  despatches  concerning  her, 
360  ;  receives  her  declaration  of  Febru- 
ary 22,  1833,  that  she  is  secretly  mar- 
ried, 360,  361  ;  violent  scene  between 
him  and  the  princess,  365  ;  precautions 
taken  by  him  to  ensure  the  publicity  of 
the  accouchement,  366  ;  present  at  this 
event,  366 ;  escorts  her  to  Palermo, 
375,  376  ;  his  duel  with  the  deputy 
Dulong,  376  note 

Burney,  Fanny  (Mme.  d'Arblay),  288 


Cairoli,  Signor,  86 
Calonne,  Comte  de,  191,  237 
Campan,  Madame,  203 


Capelle,  Baron,  293 

Caracciolo,  Admiral  Francesco,  11    and 

note 
Caraman,  Due  de,  303 
Carlos  II.,  King  of  Spain,  1 
Carlos  III.,  King  of  Spain  (Charles  V, 

of  Sicily  and  VII.  of  Naples),  2,  3 
Carlos  IV.,  King  of  Spain,  6,  14 
Car  net,  the,  1 19 
Carrel,  Armand,  358  and  note 
Carrier,  334 
Carriere,  Casimir  Charles  Oreille  de,  94, 

'S3 

Carriere,  Charles  Chevalier  de,  93 

Cars,  Due  des,  305 
Casimir-Perier,  Jean,  113,  263 
Casteja,  Madame  de,  106,  200 
Castelcicala,  Prince  of,  47,  119 
Castellane,     Marechal     de,     (cited)     92 

et  seq.,  122,  129,  130,205,  251 
Cathelineau,  Jacques,  325,  326 
Catherine  de'  Medici,  Queen  of  France, 

238,  246,  273 
Caulfield,  Miss,  246 
Cayla,  Comte  du,  203 
Cayla,    Zoe   Talon,   Comtesse    du,    her 
history,     203  ;     her   appearance    and 
character,  203  ;  urged  by  Sosthene  de 
la  Rochefoucauld  "  to  essay   the  role 
of  Esther  to  the  Ahasuerus  of  Louis 
XVIII.,"  204;  her  first  interview  with 
the    King,   204,    205  ;    infatuation   of 
Louis  XVIII.  for  her,  20$andnote,  206  ; 
presented  by  him  with  the  Pavilion  of 
Saint-Ouen,   207,    208  ;    her   political 
influence,  208 ;    her  relations  with  the 
Royal  Family,  208,  209  ;  and  the  death 
of  Louis  XVIIL,  213  and  note 
Caylus,  Duchesse  de,  246 
Chabrol,  Comte  de,  54,  220 
Chalons,  Bishop  of,  223 
Championnet,  9 
Chantelauze,  257 

Charette,  Baron  de,  283,  332  ;  his  mar- 
riage to  Louise  Brown,  70,  82,  83  ;  at 
the  Mary  Stuart  ball,  246  ;  and  the  in- 
surrection of  1832  in  la  Vendee,  300, 
302,  316  et  seq.  ;  his  reverses,  328,  329  ; 
and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's  second 
marriage,  372 
Charette,     Baronne    de.     See     Brown, 

Louise 
Charette,  Comtesse  de,  239 
Charles  Albert,  King  of  Sardinia,  295, 

297 
Charles  Ferdinand,  Due  de  Berry,  ne- 
gotiations for  his  marriage  with  the 
Princess  Caroline  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
25  et  seq. ;  writes  to  her  to  propose  for 
her  hand,  28  ;  his  portrait  presented  to 
ner>  31*  32?  married  to  her  by  pro- 
curation, 32  ;  his  letters  to  her,  33, 341 


INDEX 


379 


38,  44,  45  ;  bombards  her  with  billets- 
doux  during  her  journey  from 
Marseilles  to  Fontainebleau,  48 ; 
leaves  Paris  for  Fontainebleau,  49 ; 
meets  the  princess  at  the  Croix  de 
Saint-Herem,  50  ;  his  first  impressions, 
50,  51  ;  accompanies  her  in  her  entry 
into  Paris,  54,  55  j  married  to  her  at 
Notre-Dame,  55  et  seq.  ;  his  boyhood, 

61  ;  pretty  story  concerning  him,  61, 

62  ;  emigrates  with  his  family  in  1789, 
62 ;  a  pupil  at  the  Artillery  School  at 
Turin,  62  ;  joins  the  Army  of  Conde, 
62 ;  futile  efforts  of  Louis  XVIII.  to 
provide  him  with  a  wife  of  his  own 
rank,  63,  64  and  note ;  takes  up  his 
residence  in  London,  64  ;  his  appear- 
ance and  character,  64,  65  and  note ; 
an  incorrigible  gallant,  66 ;  his 
relations  with  Amy  Brown,  66,  67  ; 
his  two  daughters  by  her,  68,  69 ; 
question  as  to  whether  he  was  the 
father  of  her  other  children  considered, 
69  et  seq.  ;  his  letter  to  the  Comte  de 
Clermont-Lodeve,  77,  78  ;  question  of 
his  reputed  marriage  with  Amy  Brown 
considered,  79  et  seq.  ;  returns  to 
France  at  the  Restoration,  88,  89 ; 
followed  by  Amy  Brown  and  his  two 
daughters,  89  ;  episode  at  the  Opera, 
89,  90  ;  visits  Amy  and  his  children 
incognito,  9 1  ;  the  danseuse  Virginie 
Oreille  becomes  his  mistress,  91,  92  ; 
contributes  to  alienate  the  Army  from 
the  Bourbons,  92,  93 ;  and  the 
Hundred  Days,  93,  94 ;  his  children  by 
Virginie,  93  and  note,  94  note;  his 
conduct  after  the  Second  Restoration, 
94  and  note,  95  ;  and  his  marriage 
festh  Ities,  98  et  seq. ;  happiness  of  his 
married  life,  101  et  seq.  ;  his  love  of  the 
arts,  103,  104  ;  his  musical  tastes,  104 ; 
his  entourage,  104 ;  on  cordial  terms 
with  the  Due  d'Orleans,  112;  his 
canvassing  openly  for  votes  against  the 
Government  leads  to  a  violent  scene  at 
the  Tuileries,  115,  116;  resumes  his 
pre-nuptial  relations  with  Virginie 
Oreille,  117  ;  attends  a  ball  given  by 
this  lady,  117  ;  violently  reprimanded 
by  Louis  XVIII.,  117  ;  his  liaison  with 
Mile.  Sophie  de  la  Roche,  188  ;  his 
two  sons  by  her,  118  and  note;  his 
other  amours,  118  and  note;  takes 
every  precaution  to  conceal  his  "  in- 
discretions" from  his  wife,  119  and 
note ;  rupture  between  him  and  the 
Comte  de  la  Ferronays,  121,  122;  feels 
keenly  the  loss  of  his  first  son  by  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  123,  124  ;  his  con- 
versation with  the  Due  d'Orleans, 
124;  loves  his  wife,   124;  his  life  at 


the  rhysee,  125  ;  advises  Madame  de 
Gontaut  to  establish  herself  as  mistress 
in  the  royal  nursery,  126;  visits  the 
Salon  with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
127  ;  is  criticised  for  not  postponing  a 
ball,  129  and  note  ;  teaches  his  wife  to 
shoot,  129,  130;  ceases  to  take  an 
active  part  in  politics,  133;  happy 
influence  of  married  life  upon  his 
character,  133  ;  his  charity  and  kind- 
ness of  heart,  133,  134 ;  the  recipient 
of  threatening  anonymous  letters,  134.  ; 
his  gloomy  presentiments,  135,  136  ; 
attends  Comte  Greffulhe's  ball,  136  ; 
disturbing  letters  received  by  his 
host,  137;  loses  his  temper  at  a 
shooting-party,  137  ;  his  regret  and 
his  atonement,  137,  138;  his  joy  on 
learning  that  his  wife  is  again  enceinte, 
r37  '■>  g°es  with  the  duchess  to  the 
Opera  on  the  evening  of  Shrove- 
Sunday,  February  13,  1820,  138, 
139  ;  mortally  stabbed  by  Louvel,  143, 
144  ;  his  last  hours,  145  et  seq. ;  his 
death,  156,  157;  his  body  transported 
to  the  Louvre,  160  ;  his  lying-in-state, 
165  ;  his  funeral  at  Saint-Denis,  165  ; 
monuments  erected  to  his  memory,  166; 
his  heart  deposited  in  the  chapel  of  the 
hospital  built  by  his  wife  at  Rosny, 
227 
Charles  V.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  191 
Charles  V.,  King  of  Sicily.     See  Carlos 

III. 
Charles  VII.,  King  of  France,  65 
Charles    VII.,    King    of    Naples.      See 

Carlos  III. 
Charles  X.,  King  of  France,  20,  25,  30, 
99,  142,  201,  213,  247,  299,  314,  371  ; 
meets  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  49,  54 ; 
attends  her  wedding,  57,  58  ;  and  the 
Due  de  Berry's  reputed  marriage  to 
Amy  Brown,  83  ;  and  Madame  de 
Polastron,  83  and  note  ;  his  affection 
for  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  no,  in; 
his  conservatism,  114;  strained  rela- 
tions with  Louis  XVIII. ,  115,  116, 
163,  164 ;  and  the  Abbe  Gregoire's 
election,  132  ;  at  the  Due  de  Berry's 
death-bed,  148  et  seq. ',  and  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux's  entourage,  193 ;  and  the 
baptism  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  194 
et  seq. ;  and  Mme.  du  Cayla,  208  ;  and 
the  death.of  Louis  XVIII.,  213  et  seq.  ; 
his  appearance  and  character,  218,  219  ; 
his  entry  into  Paris,  220,  221  ;  holds 
a  review,  221,  222  ;  his  Sacre  at 
Rheims,  223,  224  ;  makes  a  State  entry 
into  Paris,  224 ;  appoints  the  gouver- 
tieur  of  the  Ducde  Bordeaux,  235  ;  his 
popularity  waning,  241  et  seq.  ;  de- 
spatches  expedition  to   Algiers,   255, 


38o 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 


256;  signs  the  four  Ordinances, 
257  et  seq.  ;  his  conversation  with 
Madame  de  Gontaut,  258,  259  ;  his 
conduct  during  the  July  Revolution, 
259>  267  ;  leaves  Saint-Cloud  for  Ram- 
bouillet,  268  et  seq.  ;  abdicates  in  favour 
of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  271  et  seq.  ; 
Louis-Philippe's  treachery  to,  275  et 
seq.,  281  ;  leaves  Rambouillet,  277  et 
seq.;  his  pathetic  parting  with  the  Gardes 
du  corps,  282,  283  j  sails  for  England, 
284 ;  arrival  at  Cowes,  285  ;  ungene- 
rous attitude  of  the  English  Press  to- 
wards, 287,  288 ;  his  life  at  Lulworth 
Castle,  288,  289 ;  removes  to  Holy- 
rood,  289  et  seq.;  opposed  to  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry's  bellicose  projects, 
292  ;  gives  a  kind  of  half-consent  and 
confers  on  her  the  title  of  Regent, 
292,  293 ;  and  the  second  marriage 
of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  374,  375 

Charles  Edward  Stuart  (Young  Pre- 
tender), 291 

Chastelleux,  Comte  de,  63 

Chateaubriand,  177,  208,  326,  373  et  seq., 
(cited)  65,  79,  133,  292 

Chatre,  Due  de  la,  48 

Chazel,  Lieut.,  307 

Chene,  Abbe,  68 

Chesnaverie,  Comte  de  la,  329 

Choiseul,  Comte  Cesar  de,  144  et  seq., 
285 

Choisy,  Madame  de,  209 

Chousserie,  Colonel,  349,  351,  356  et  seq. 

Christina,  Duchess  of  Genoa,  27,  63 

Cirillo,  Dominico,  11 

Clermont-Lodeve,  Comte  de,  89;  and 
Amy  Brown,  66,  67,  75  ;  and  the  Due 
de  Berry's  reputed  marriage  with  Amy 
Brown,  77,  78,  83  el  seq.,  88,  90 ;  and 
the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry, 
144  etseq. 

Coco,  Vincenzo,  12 

Coigny,  Marechal  Due  de,  89,  152, 
178 

Coigny,  Duchesse  de,  66,  67 

Coislin,  Marquis  de,  318 

Coligny,  Gaspard  de,  246 

Collard,  M.,  231 

Conde,  Prince  de,  57  et  seq.,  63  et  seq., 
106,  in,  203 

Conde,  Marie  de  Cleves,  Princesse  de, 
246 

Conegliano,  Due  de,  217 

Conforti,  4,  II 

Conservateiir,  the,  163 

Constant,  Benjamin,  113 

Constitutiofiel,  the,  [cited)  187  note 

Contat,  Mile.,  92,  m 

Corsair,  the,  358 

Cosse,  Comte  de,  245 

Cosse-Brissac,  Comte  de,  59 


Costa  de  Beauregard,  Marquis  de,  75 

Courrier,  Louis,  113,  192 

Coussergues,    Clausel    de,    162    et  seq., 

177 
Cretineau-Joly,  (cited)  321,  323 
Crillon,  65 

Croy,  Cardinal  de,  213,  216 
Crozat,  96 


D 


Damas,  Due  de,  36,  42,  48,  236,  272, 

274.  293 
Dambray,  Comte,  56,  217 
Dampierre,  Marquis  Aymar  de,  313,  316, 

317. 

Dampierre,  Marquise  de,  316,  317 

Daudet,  M.  Ernest,  (cited)  117,  164 

Dauphinot,  Sergeant,  181 

Deas,  349 

Decazes,  Due,  115  ;his  early  career,  130, 
131  ;  enters  the  Cabinet,  131 ;  affection 
of  Louis  XVIII.  for  him,  131  and  note ; 
his  liberal  policy,   131  ;  hated  by  the 
ultra- Royalists,    131  ;   becomes   Presi- 
dent  of  the  Council,    132;    and    the 
assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry,  150 
154,  161  ;  accused  by  Clausel  de  Cous 
sergues  of  complicity  in  the  crime,  162 
furious  outcry  against  him,  162,   163 
his  fall,  164 

Delaroche,  Paul,  1 18 

Delavigne,  113 

Delissert,  M.  Gabriel,  93 

Deneux,  Dr.,   178,   180,  182,    366,    367, 

375 

Derivis,  126 

Dermancourt,  General,  325,  348,  (cited) 
3io,  347 

Desaugiers,  Marc,  126 

Desbies,  145 

Deutz,'Hyacinthe  Simon,  his  rendezvous 
with  Thiers  in  the  Champs-Elysees,  337, 
338  ;  his  strange  career,  338-340 ; 
agrees  to  betray  the  Duchesse  de  Berry 
into  the  hands  of  the  Government,  340  ; 
sent  to  Nantes,  340.  341 ;  his  first 
interview  with  the  duchess  leads  to  no 
result,  341,  342  ;  succeeds  in  obtaining 
a  second  audience,  343 ;  his  infamous 
behaviour,  343 

Devonshire,  Duke  of,  289 

Diavolo,  Fra,  10 

Dombasle,  Madame  de,  1 5 

Dore,  Mariette,  330 

Doudeauville,  Due  de,  202 

Drach,  M.,  338 

Drapeau  blanc,  the,  162 

Drogard,  Dr.,  146 

Dubois,  366 


INDEX 


38i 


Dulong,  his  duel  with  General  Bugeaud, 

376  note 
Dumont  d'Urville,  Captain,  283 
Dupin,  Andre,  271 
Dupuytren,  Dr.,  149,  151  et  seq. 
Duval,  Prefect,  342,  343,  347,  349 


E 


Edward,  Duke  of  Kent,  129 
Enghien,  Due  d',  III,  212 

Erlon,  Comte  Drouet  d',  347,  349,  356 

Esclignac,  Due  d',  270 

Estang,  Comte  de  Bastard  d',  1 70 

Estourmel,  Comte  d',  280 

Estourmel,  Comtesse  d',  280 

Estrees,  Gabrielle  d',  65 

Eugenie,  Empress  of  the  French,  1 18 

Evreux,  Henri,  Comte  d',  96 


Favras,  Marquis  de,  203 

Favre,  Ferdinand,  349 

Feltre,  Due  de,  100 

Ferdinand,  Duke  of  Parma,  297 

Ferdinand  I.,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
113,  199,  201J;  his  early  training,  2; 
his  rough  manners,  3  ;  his  marriage 
with  the  Archduchess  Maria  Carolina ; 
governed  by  his  wife,  3,  4  ;  renews  his 
alliance  with  England,  8  ;  his  expedi- 
tion against  Rome,  9  ;  flies  to  Sicily,  9, 
IO ;  returns  to  Naples,  10  ;  his  savage 
vengeance  on  the  Republican  leaders, 
11;  refuses  to  commute  the  death-sen- 
tence passed  on  Luisa  di  Sanfelice,  12  ; 
troubles  with  France,  1 5  ;  again  obliged 
to  take  refuge  in  Sicily,  15,  16 ;  enter- 
tains the  Due  d'Orleans,  18  et  seq.  ;  his 
arbitrary  rule  in  Sicily,  20;  abdicates 
his  authority  to  the  Prince-Royal,  21 ; 
signs  order  for  the  Queen's  banishment, 
21  ;  once  more  reigning  at  Naples,  22  ; 
assumes  the  title  of  Ferdinand  I.  of 
the  Two  Sicilies,  22  ;  and  the  Princess 
Caroline's  marriage,  25  et  seq. ;  and 
Princess  Caroline's  dowry,  31  ;  obliged 
temporarily  to  resign  his  authority  to 
his  son,  176  ;  once  more  triumphant, 
201  ;  his  death,  222 

Ferdinand  II.,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 

IS.  297 
Ferdinand  IV.,  King  of  Naples,  and  III. 

of  Sicily.     See  Ferdinand  I.,  King  of 

the  Two  Sicilies 
Ferdinand  VI. ,  King  of  Spain,  2 
Ferdinand  VII.,  King  of  Spain,   14,  15, 

175,  201 


Ferdinand,  Archduke,  6 

Ferronays,  Comte  Auguste  de  la,  105  ; 
his  quarrels  with  the  Due  de  Berry,  65 
note,  121,  122  ;  and  the  Due  de  Berry's 
reputed  marriage  with  Amy  Brown, 
75,  87  et  seq.  ;  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs,  242,  (cited)  76 

Ferronays,  Comtesse  de  la,  27,  33, 36,  37, 
42,  49,  105,  134 

Ferronays,  Madame  de  la  (Superior  of 
the  Convent  de  la  Visitation  at  Nantes), 
341 

Ferte,  Papillon  de  la,  122 

Figaro,  the,  83,  86 

Filangieri,  Gaetano,  4 

Fitz-James,  Due  de,  161 

Foissac-Latour,  General  de,  274 

Foresta,  Marquise  de,  193,  231 

Fouche,  Joseph,  Due  d'Otrante,  112,  131 

Francis  I.,  Emperor  of  Austria,  21 

Francis  II.,  Emperor  of  Austria,  6 

Francis  I.,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  174, 
297  ;  marries  the  Archduchess    Maria 
Clementina,  6  ;    his  intellectual  gifts, 
7  ;  birth  of  his  daughter  Marie  Caroline, 
the    future    Duchesse    de    Berry,    8; 
death  of  his  first  wife,   13  ;  his  second 
marriage,   14;  accompanies  the  Royal 
Family  to  Sicily,  15  ;  his  life  in  Sicily, 
17;    title  of  Vicar-General    conferred 
upon  him,  21  ;  Marie  Caroline's  mar 
riage,  26  et  seq. ;  succeeds  to  the  throne 
222  ;  meets  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at 
Grenoble,  250  ;  disappoints  the  inhabit 
ants  of  Beziers,  251  ;  his  visit  to  Paris 
252,  253  ;  his  death,  290 

Francois  I.,   King  of  France,  65,    191 
237,  270 

Frayssinous,  Mgr.,  Bishop  of  Hermepolis: 
207 

Freeman,  John  (reputed  son  of  the  Due 
de  Berry),  67  et  seq. 

Freeman,  Mrs.  John,  69,  70 

Freeman,  Robert  (reputed  son  of  the  Due 
de  Berry),  67  et  seq. 

Fremilly,  Baron  de,  55,  197 

Freycinet,  M.  de,  86 


G 

Galanti,  4 

Ganay,  Comte  de,  297 

Garnerin,  Mile.,  100 

Gaston,  Due  d'Orleans,  85 

Gaultier,  Abbe,  231 

Gazette  de  France,  163,  357,  358 

Genoa,  Duke  of,  64 

Gintrac,  Dr.,  357,  358 

Giovanni,  Don  Paolo,  15 

Girardin,  Emile  de,  358  note 

Girardin,  General  de,  271 


382 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 


Girodet-Trioson,  127 

Gontaut,  Duchesse  de,  goes  to  meet  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Marseilles,  36 
note  ;  her  influence  at  the  Elysee,  105, 
120 ;  becomes  dame  d'atours  to  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  122  ;  appointed 
gouvernante  of  the  Children  of  France, 
125  ;  and  the  assassination  of  the  Due 
de  Berry,  151,  157,  158,  159;  and 
the  birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  181 
et  seq.  ;  and  the  baptism  of  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux,  193  et  seq.  ;  her  letter 
to  the  Due  de  Riviere  describing  the 
system  of  education  she  has  pursued 
with  the  royal  children,  231  et  seq. ; 
created  a  duchess,  235  ;  her  conversa- 
tion with  Charles  X.  on  the  day  of  the 
publication  of  the  Ordinances,  258, 
259 ;  and  the  July  Revolution,  262, 
266  ;  and  the  departure  of  the  Royal 
Family  from  France,  269,  270,  273, 
274,  283  ;  receives  a  letter  from  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  286  ;  at  Lul  worth 
Castle,  288 ;  goes  with  Mademoiselle 
to  Scotland,  289,  (cited)  36  note,  38,  41, 
46,  50,  60,  Jt,  76,  89,  90,  105,  121, 
122,  125,  I?  ,  134,  135,  137,  138,  147, 
148,  151,  156  et  seq.,  180  et  seq.,  195, 
196,  199,  215,  230,  232  et  seq.,  258, 
259,  262,  264,  266,  269,  272,  274, 
288 

Gourgues,  Mme.  de,  37,  48,  106 

Grandjean,  Mile.,  118 

Grave,  M.,  75,  77 

Gravier,  168 

Grazia,  Duke  della,  368 

Greffulhe,  Baron,  136 

Gregoire,  Abbe,  131,  132 

Gregory  XVI.,  Pope,  338,  339 

Guibourg,   Achille,   316,   317,   341  note, 

343.  344.  345  et  sca->  34$,  349.  375 
Guigny,  M.  du,  341,  342 
Guigny,  Marie  Louise  du,  333,  334,  341, 

372,  375 
Guigny,  Pauline  du,  333,  334,  341,  344, 

372,  375 
Guise,   Due  de,   Henri  I.   de  Lorraine, 

238 
Guizot,  Francois,  278,  (cited)  353 


II 


Hamilton,  Duke  of,  245 
Hamilton,  Emma,  Lady,  5,  8,  10,  II 
Hansler,  Madame,  376 
Harson,  Madame,  372  and  note 
Haussez,  Baron  d',  292 
Hautefort,  M.  de,  130 
Havre,  Due  d',  36,  38,  41 
Haye,  M.  de  la,  326 


Henin,  Madame  d',  206 

Henri  d'Albret,  King  of  Navarre,  177, 

183 

Henri,  Due  de  Bordeaux,  afterwards 
Comte  de  Chambord,  73,  74,  84, 
240,  258,  370;  his  birth,  71,  168,  180 
etseq.,  364;  and  Louis  XVIII.'s  death, 
213,  215,  216;  and  Charles  X.'s  entry 
into  Paris,  221  ;  attends  the  review  on 
the  Champ  de  Mars,  221,  222  ;  anec- 
dotes of  his  early  years,  230,  231;  educa- 
tional system  pursued  with  him,  231  et 
seq. ;  his  gouverneurs,  235,  236 ;  his 
kindness  towards  the  wounded  and 
starving  soldiers  at  the  July  Revolution, 
266 ;  Charles  X.  abdicates  in  favour  of, 
271;  and  the  departure  of  the  Royal 
Family  from  France,  281,  282 ;  his 
arrival  in  England,  285,  287  ;  at 
Holyrood,  289 ;  his  mother's  project 
to  regain  the  French  throne  for,  292, 
293»  327»  37l»  372  ;  Legitimist  en- 
thusiasm for  the  cause  of,  307,  315, 
316 

Henri  IV.,  King  of  France,  65,  123, 
177,    178,    183,   210,  240,    250,    280, 

291,  37i»  372 

Hesse,  127 

Hortense  de  Beauharnais,  Queen  of  Hol- 
land, 203,  209 

Hugo,  Victor,  176,  187,  290 

Huntly,  Marquis  of,  247 


Isabella  Farnese  (Queen  of  Spain),  2 
Issoudun,     Comtesse    d'.     See    Brown, 
Charlotte 


J 

James  II.,  King  of  England,  286,  287 

Janin,  General,  350,  351 

Jeanne  dAlbret,  Queen  of  Navarre,  177, 

183 

Jeanne  d'Arc,  291,  294,  362 

Joly  (Commissary  of  Police),   340  et  seq., 

349.  352,  353 
Joseph  II.,  Emperor  of  Germany,  6 
Josephine,  Empress,  85 
Journal  des  Debats,  the,  49,  55,  101,  163, 

172  and  note,  187 
Journal  de  Paris,  the,  165,  176,  187,  194 


K 


Kergorlay,  Comte  de,  299,  300,  303,  304 
Kergorlay,  Vicomte  de,  299,  303 


INDEX 


3§3 


Kersabiec,  Mile.  Celeste  de,   343,  344, 

372 
Kersabiec,  Mile.  Eulalie  de,  325,  329  et 

seg.t  343i  372 
Kersabiec,   Mile.  Stylite  de,  332  et  scq., 

34i»  344.  l&etseg.,  359.  372,  375 
Kriidener,  Madame  de,  97,  98 


La  Chastre,  66,  75,  76 

Lacroix,  Dr.,  146 

Lafayette,  General,  176,  275 

Laferriere,  Colonel,  44 

Laffitte,  Jacques,  113,  263 

Laine,  115 

Lally,  Comte  de,  190 

Lamartine,  Alphonse  de,  (cited)  115,  132, 
140,  147,  151,  161,  164,  170,  206,  208, 
218,  219,  236,  266,  271,  283  ;  and  the 
birth  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  187 

Lamy,  Eugene,  247 

Lannes,  Marechal,  142 

La  Reise,  M.,  82,  119 

Latil,  Mgr.  de,  Bishop  of  Amyclee,  58, 
83  note,  148 

Lauriston,  Mme.  de,  37,  47,  106 

Lebeau,  Julie,  71,  72 

Lebeschu,  Mile.,  302,  310,  311,  376 

Lebreton^Mlle.  Resica,  u8 

Ledhuy,  Edouard,  303 

Lemoine,  Madame,  158,  181 

Lenoir,  M.,  117 

Le  Normand,  317,  318 

Leopold  I.,  King  of  the  Belgians,  335 
Leopold,  Prince  of  Salerno,  20,  21,  32, 

34 
Leopold  II.,   Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany, 

297 
Levis,  Due  de,  33,  36,  40,  41,  50,  170 
Levis,  Duchesse  de,  121 
Liautuard,  Abbe,  206,  208 
Lorge,  Comte  de,  313,  316,  317 
Louis   Antoine  de  Bourbon,  Due  d'An- 
gouleme,   25,   28,    30,   93,    120,    142, 
172,  196,   241,  256,  259,    266,    288  ; 
goes  to  receive  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
49  ;  attends  the  wedding  of  the   Due 
and  Duchesse    de  Berry,   54,  58 ;  his 
marriage,     62  ;    takes   charge    of  the 
Due  de  Berry's  natural  .  son,  93  and 
note ;    opens    a    State   ball,    99 ;    his 
affection  for  the   Duchesse   de  Berry, 
no  ;     and    the     dissolution    of     the 
Chambre  introuvable,    115;    his  strict 
morals,    119;    his  grief   at   the    Due 
de  Berry's  death-bed,  148  et  sea.  ;  and 
Louis  XVIII.  and  Decazes, !  163,   164 ; 
commands  theiFrench  Army  in  Spain, 
201  ;  and  the  death  of  Louis  XVIII., 


213  et  sea.  ;  attends  Charles  X.'s  State 
entry  into  Paris,  220,  224  ;  persuades 
the  King  to  leave  Saint-Cloud,  268 
et  sea.  ;  renounces  his  right  to  the 
throne,  272,  292  ;  leaves  France  for 
England,  283 ;  at  Lulworth  Castle, 
289  ;  sails  for  Scotland,  289 
Louis  XIII.,  85 

Louis  XIV.,  1,  65,  74,  107,  237,  291 
Louis  XV.,  8,  97 

Louis  XVI.,  9,  28,  54,  106,  131,  173 
Louis  XVIII. ,  14,  34,  40,  41,  46,   191, 
192,  201,  315  ;  opens  negotiations  for 
the    Due     de     Berry's    marriage     to 
the    Princess   Caroline,    38,    39 ;    his 
meeting  with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
50,    51  ;   and   the  wedding   festivities 
53   et  sea.  ;   and   the  Due   de  Berry's 
supposed  marriage  with  Amy  Brown, 
70,  83  ;  his  State  entry  into  Paris,   89 
et   sea.  ;  reprimads  the  Due  de  Berry, 
94  note ;  gives  the  Elysee-Bourbon  to 
the   Due   de  Berry,   98  ;    reviews  the 
troops  in  the  Champ  de  Mars,  99,  100  ; 
his    affection     for    the    Duchesse    de 
Berry,    108,    109 ;  his    dislike   of  the 
Due  d'Orleans,   112  et  sea.  ;  his  liberal 
policy,  114  et  sea.,  131  ;  and  the  Due 
de  Berry's  amours,  117,  118;  and  the 
affair   of  the   layette,    121,    122 ;   and 
the  Due   Decazes,    130,    131,    161   el 
seg. ;  and  the  Due  de  Berry's  assassina- 
tion, 154  et  seg.  ;  bestows  titles  on  the 
duke's    daughters    by    Amy    Brown, 
156;      places     Saint-Cloud    at     the 
Duchesse  de  Berry's  disposal,  159  ;  re- 
places Decazes  by  the  Due  de  Riche- 
lieu,  164 ;  attends  the  funeral  of  the 
Due  de  Berry,  165  ;  and  the  Duchesse 
de   Berry's  pregnancy   in    1820..  169, 
170,  176  et  seg.;  his  joy  at  the   birth 
of  a  prince,   183  et  seg.  ;  and  the  libel 
concerning  the  birth   of  the   Due   de 
Bordeaux,    190 ;    attends  the  baptism 
of    the  Due   de  Bordeaux,    194 ;   his 
infatuation  for  Madame  du  Cayla,  203 
et  seg.  ;  her  influence  over  him,  208  ; 
his  last  days,  211  et  seg.  ;  his  death, 
214;  his  funeral,  216  et  seg. 
Louis-Philippe,    King    of    the    French, 
57,  84,   124,   139,  143,  249,  287,  295 
et  seg.,  301,  325,  326  ;  visits  Ferdinand 
I.,  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  18  et  seg.  ; 
his  marriage  to  the  Princess  Amalia  of 
Naples,  19,  20  j  his  friendly  relations 
with  the  Due  and  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
III,  112,  113;  refusal  of  Louis  XVIII. 
to  bestow  on  him  the  title  of  "Royal 
Highness,"   113;   not   a   faithful  hus- 
band,   119  ;    humiliation   inflicted   on 
him  by  Louis  XVIIL,   121  ;  and   the 
Due  de  Berry's  assassination,  147,  165, 


3^4 


A   PRINCESS   OF   ADVENTURE 


166;  and  the  birth  of  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  183,  184,  189,  190;  de- 
mands the  cordon  bleu  for  his  son  the 
Due  de  Chartres,  212;  and  the  acces- 
sion of  Charles  X.,  216,  220,  224;  his 
ball  at  the  Palais-Royal,  253 ;  as- 
sumes the  post  of  Lieutenant-General 
of  the  Kingdom,  267,  271,  272 ;  his 
treachery  to  Charles  X.,  273 ;  and 
Charles  X.'s  abdication,  276  ;  assumes 
the  title  of  King  of  the  French,  281, 
371  ;  and  the  Royal  Family's  de- 
parture from  France,  278 ;  his  re- 
actionary policy  provokes  insurrections, 
3001;  and  the  return  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  to  France,  312  ;  his  treatment 
of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  353  et 
seq. ;  affects  incredulity  concerning  the 
second  marriage  of  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  362  et  seq. 
Louis  Philippe,  Due  d'Orleans  (Egalite), 

84,  105 
Louise  Isabelle  d'Artois,  120,  121 
Louise  d'Artois,  called  Mademoiselle, 
afterwards  Duchess  of  Parma,  120, 
121,  122,  192,  193,  258,  293  ;-her  birth, 
125,  126 ;  her  father's  affection  for, 
137  ;  and  death  of  Louis  XVIII. ,  213, 
215,  216;  witnesses  the  entry  of 
Charles  X.  into  Paris,  221,  222; 
visits  Dieppe,  220,  249  ;  at  the  Mary 
Stuart  ball,  247  ;  her  early  education, 

230  et  seq.;  system  of  education  pur- 
sued with  her  by  Madame  de  Gontaut, 

231  et  seq. ;  her  marriage  discussed, 
249,  250  note ;  her  kindness  of  heart, 
266  ;  and  the  departure  of  the  Royal 
Family  from  France,  269,  270,  272, 
283  ;  arrives  in  England,  285  ;  at 
Lulworth  Castle,  288  ;  at  Holyrood, 
289 

Louvel,  Louis  Pierre  (assassin  of  the 
Due  de  Berry),  his  early  life,  140; 
his  violent  animosity  against  the 
Bourbons,  141,  142  ;  decides  to 
assassinate  the  Ducde  Berry,  142,  143  ; 
stabs  the  duke  as  he  is  leaving  the 
Opera,  144  ;  his  arrest,  145,  146  ;  Due 
de  Berry  beseeches  clemency  for,  153 
et  seq.  ;  and  Decazes,  1 61  ;  his  trial  and 
execution,  168  et  seq. 

Lowe,  Sir  Hudson,  376 

Lucchesi-Palli,  Count  Ettore  (second 
husband  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry), 
297,  298,  336,  367  et  seq. 

Lucinge,  Prince  de,  69  et  seq. 

Lucinge,  Princess  de.  See  Brown,  Char- 
lotte 

Luigia  Amalia,  Archduchess,  6 

Luisa,  Infanta,  250 

Luppe,  Marquis  de,  77  et  seq.,  84 

Luxembourg,  Due  de,  285 


M 


Macchi,  Mgr.,  187,  208 

Macdonald,  Marechal  (Due  de  Tarente), 
99,  188 

Mace,  Pierre,  81,  82 

Mack,  General,  8,  9 

Maille,  Due  de,  48,  148  et  sqq. 

Maine,  Duchesse  de,  291 

Maintenon,  Mme.  de,  277 

Maison,  Marechal,  95,  276,  277 

Manuel,  113 

Marguerite,  Duchesse  d'Orleans,  85 

Marguerite  de  Valois,  Duchess  of  Savoy, 
246 

Maria  Carolina,  Queen  of  Naples,  63, 
291  ;  her  marriage,  3  ;  her  character,  4, 
5,  29  ;  her  brilliant  Court,  4 ;  her 
influence  over  the  King,  4 ;  her 
children's  marriages,  6 ;  and  her 
daughter-in-law,  the  Archduchess 
Maria  Clementina,  7 ;  and  the  flight 
from  Naples  on  board  Nelson's  flag- 
ship, 9,  10;  returns  to  Naples,  11; 
an  exile  in  Sicily,  15  et  seq.,  24 ;  her 
affection  for  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  1 7, 
18 ;  her  meeting  with  the  Due  de 
Orleans,  19 ;  and  Princess  Amalia's 
marriage,  20  ;  her  persistent  interfer- 
ence with  Sicilian  affairs,  20,  21  ;  her 
banishment  from  Sicily,  21 ;  her  death, 
22 

Maria  Christina,  Queen  of  Spain,  15 

Maria  Clementina,  Hereditary  Princess  of 
the  Two  Sicilies  (mother  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry),  her  marriage,  6  ;  her  life  at 
Naples,  7  ;  birth  of  the  Duchesse  de 
Berry,  8 ;  flight  to  Sicily,  9  ;  returns 
to  Naples,  1 1  ;  and  Luisa  di  Sanfelice, 
11,  12  ;  her  illness  and  death,  13 

Maria  Isabella,  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
14,  15,  17,  250 

Maria  Theresa,  Empress  of  Austria,  3, 
291 

Marie  Adelaide  of  Savoy,  Duchesse  de 
Bourgogne,  101,  109 

Marie  Amelie,  Queen  of  the  French, 
16,  22,  57,  58,  119,  256;  her  marriage 
to  Louis-Philippe,  19,  20;  her  inti- 
macy with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry, 
III  et  seq, ;  and  the  assassination 
of  the  Due  de  Berry,  139,  143,  147, 
155  ;  and  the  accession  of  Charles  X., 
216,  220,  222  ;  and  the  abdication  of 
Charles  X.,  274 ;  and  the  imprisonment 
of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  353  ;  and  the 
pregnancy  of  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at 
Blaye,  363 

Marie  Antoinette,  Queen  of  France,  3, 
9,  28,  40,  54,  116,  227,  247,  248,  251 


INDEX 


385 


Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berry,  her 
birth,  8  ;  accompanies  the  Royal 
Family  of  Naples  in  its  flight  to  Sicily, 
9  ;  at  Palermo,  1 1  ;  loses  her  mother, 
13  ;  second  marriage  of  her  father,  14  ; 
her  early  years,  15  ;  again  accompanies 
the  Royal  Family  to  Sicily,  15  ;  her 
life  there,  1 7 ;  her  education,  1 7  ; 
affection  of  her  grandmother,  Maria 
Carolina,  for  her,  18  ;  her  first  meeting 
with  Louis-rhilippe,  Due  d'Orleans, 
19 ;  her  resentment  against  Lord 
William  Bentinck,  22 ;  her  personal 
appearance,  23,  24  and  note ;  her 
character,  24  ;  her  affection  for  Sicily, 
24,  25 ;  demanded  in  marriage  by 
Louis  XVIII.  for  the  Due  de  Berry, 
25  et  seq. ;  portrait  of  her  by  the 
Comte  de  Blacas,  27 ;  letters  of  Louis 
XVIII.  and  the  Due  de  Berry  to  her, 
27-29  ;  her  reply  to  the  duke,  29,  30 ; 
returns  to  Naples,  30,  31 ;  her  marriage- 
contract,  31  ;  married  by  procuration, 
32  ;  her  letter  to  the  Due  de  Berry, 
32,  33  ;  falls  ill  of  fever,  34  ;  sails  for 
France,  34,  35  ;  arrives  at  Marseilles, 
36  ;  subjected  to  ten  days'  quarantine 
in  the  lazaretto,  37  et  seq. ;  makes  her 
official  entry  into  Marseilles,  40,  41  ; 
ceremony  of  her  delivery  to  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Louis  XVIII. ,  41,  42  ; 
her  splendid  reception  at  Marseilles, 
42,  43 ;  visits  Toulon,  43  ;  corre- 
spondence between  her  and  the  Due 
de  Berry,  43  et  seq.  ;  her  journey  to 
Fontainebleau,  46  et  seq.  ;  bombarded 
by  billets-doux  from  the  Due  de  Berry, 
48,  49  ;  her  meeting  with  the  Royal 
Family  at  the  Croix  de  Saint-Herem, 
50,  51  ;  arrives  at  Fontainebleau,  51, 
52  ;  her  entry  into  Paris,  53  et  seq.  ; 
arrives  at  the  Tuileries,  55  ;  her  mar- 
riage at  Notre-Dame,  55  et  seq. ;  dines 
au  grand  convert  with  the  Royal 
Family,  59,  60;,  departs  with  her 
husband  for  the  Elysee-Bourbon,  60 ; 
her  apartments,  98  ;  narrowly  escapes 
a  serious  accident,  98  note ',  takes  part 
in  the  official  marriage  festivities,  98 
et  seq.  ',  happiness  of  her  married  life, 
IOI,  102 ;  community  of  tastes  with 
her  husband,  102  el  seq. ;  her  House- 
hold, 104  et  seq. ;  attachment  of  Louis 
XVIII.  to  her,  108,  109 ;  affectionate 
relations  between  her  and  the  other 
members  of  the  Royal  Family,  109 
et  seq. ;  her  visit  to  the  old  Prince  de 
Conde  at  Chantilly,  1 1 1 ;  her  friendly 
relations  with  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
d'Orleans,  113;  endeavours  to  obtain 
the  title  of  "  Royal  Highness  "  for 
Louis- Philippe,  113;  holds  aloof  from 
2  C 


politics,  116;  her  growing  popularity 
with  the  Parisians,  116;  infidelities  of 
her  husband,  117  et  seq. ;  her  conver- 
sation on  the  subject  with  the 
Neapolitan  Ambassador,  the  Prince 
Castelcicala,  119,  120;  gives  birth  to 
a  daughter,  who,  however,  dies  on  the 
following  day,  120,  121  ;  her  life 
during  the  winter  of  1817-1818,  123; 
prematurely  delivered  of  a  son,  123; 
her  enviable  position,  124;  her  life  at 
the  Elysee,  125  ;  gives  birth  to  Made- 
moiselle, 125,  126;  her  portrait  by 
Hesse,  127,  128;  gives  a  magnificent 
ball  at  the  Elysee,  129  and  note; 
accompanies  her  husband's  shooting- 
parties,  129,  130;  and  the  Due  de 
Berry's  presentiments  of  approaching 
death,  135;  again  in  an  interest- 
ing condition,  136;  attends  Comte 
Greffulhe's  ball,  136;  goes  with  her 
husband  to  the  Opera  on  the  night  of 
Shrove-Sunday,  February  13,  1820, 
I38,  139;  and  the  assassination  of  the 
Due  de  Berry,  143  et  seq.  ;  her  anguish 
at  the  death  of  her  husband,  157  et  seq. ; 
leaves  the  Elysee  for  Saint-Cloud,  159  ; 
returns  to  Paris  and  takes  up  her 
residence  at  the  Tuileries,  167,  168; 
her  first  appearance  in  public  since  the 
death  of  her  husband,  168;  Jacobin 
attempts  against  her  and  her  unborn 
child,  168,  169;  her  courage,  169; 
has  a  singular  dream,  169;  convinced 
that  she  is  destined  to  give  birth  to  a 
prince,  169,  170 ;  presented  with  a 
sumptuous  cradle  by  the  market-women 
of  Bordeaux,  177  ;  gives  birth  to  the 
Due  de  Bordeaux,  180,  181 ;  her 
remarkable  courage  and  sang-froid  on 
this  occasion,  181  el  seq.;  gives  orders 
that  the  military  shall  be  admitted  to 
see  her  son,  184;  presented  with  a 
luminous  bouquet  by  the  garrison  of 
Paris,  185,  186;  an  object  of  poetic 
adulation,  187;  still  feeling  very  keenly 
the  loss  of  her  husband,  192 ;  at  the 
baptism  of  the  Due  de  Bordeaux,  193, 
194;  attends  a  grand  fete  at  the  Hotel 
de  Ville,  196  ;  makes  a  pilgrimage  to 
Notre-Dame  de  Liesse,  196,  197 ; 
resumes  the  habits  of  the  early  days  of 
her  married  life,  199;  her  kindness 
and  generosity,  200;  her  visit  to 
Mont-Dore,  201  ;  begins  to  entertain 
again,  201  ;  her  relations  with  Madame 
du  Cayla,  209;  her  first  visit  to 
Dieppe,  209  et  seq. ;  and  the  death  of 
Louis  XVIII.,  214;  accompanies  the 
Royal  Family  to  Saint-Cloud,  215; 
attends  a  Requiem  Mass  for  the  soul 
of  Louis  XVIII.,  217;  takes  part  in 


386 


A   PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 


the  entry  of  Charles  X.  into  Paris, 
220 ;  loses  her  grandfather,  Ferdi- 
nand I.  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  223  ;  at 
the  Sacre  of  Charles  X.,  223  ;  attends 
a  fete  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  224  ;  opens 
a  ball  at  the  Tuileries,  224 ;  assumes 
the  title  of  Madame,  225  and  note', 
her  immense  popularity,  225,  226 ; 
her  life  at  the  Chateau  of  Rosny,  226, 
227  ;  her  generosity  to  the  poor  of  the 
neighbourhood,  227  ;  builds  a  hospital, 
227 ;  her  visits  to  Dieppe,  227,  228  ; 
an  intrepid  sailor,  228 ;  her  benevo- 
lence, 228,  229 ;  gives  a  picnic  in  the 
valley  of  Arques,  229,  230 ;  the  most 
devoted  of  mothers,  230;  sets  out  on 
a  tour  through  the  West  of  France, 
237 ;  visits  Chambord,  237,  238 ; 
visits  Blois  and  Saumur,  238 ;  her 
enthusiastic  reception  by  the  Vendeens 
at  Saint-Florent,  238  ;  at  Sainte-Anne 
d'Auray,  239 ;  in  the  Bocage,  239 ; 
magnificently  received  at  Bordeaux, 
240  ;  in  the  Pyrenees,  240 ;  returns  to 
Paris,  240 ;  consequence  of  the  im- 
pressions1 which  she  has  received  during 
this  tour,  240  ;  hooted  by  the  National 
Guards  at  a  review,  241  ;  gives  a  "  bal 
candide"  and  a  "  bal  ture,"  244; 
organises  the  Mary  Stuart  ball,  245 
et  seq.  ;  calumny  concerning  her  and 
her  first  equerry,  the  Comte  de 
Mesnard,  249  et  seq. ;  her  last  visits  to 
Dieppe,  249  ;  visited  by  the  Orleans 
family,  249,  250  and  note;  makes  a 
journey  to  the  South,  to  meet  the  King 
and  Queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies,  250, 
251  ;  receives  them  at  Chambord,  253  ; 
gives  a  ball  in  their  honour,  253;  her 
conduct  during  the  July  Revolution, 
260,  263,  268,  273,  274 ;  and  the 
departure  of  the  Royal  Family  from 
France,  277,  278,  280,  281,  282,  283 ; 
arrives  at  Cowes,  285  ;  and  the  Times, 
287 ;  kindness  of  the  Marquis  of 
Anglesey  and  his  daughters  to  her, 
288;  at  Lulworth  Castle,  288,  289; 
makes  a  tour  through  the  West  and 
Midlands,  289 ;  in  London,  289,  290 ; 
joins  the  Royal  Family  at  Holyrood, 
290 ;  death  of  her  father,  Francis  I.  of 
the  Two  Sicilies,  290 ;  determined  to 
endeavour  to  recover  the  Crown  for 
her  son,  290,  291  ;  extraordinary 
influence  of  the  novels  of  Walter  Scott 
upon  her  imagination,  291,  292 ; 
refuses  to  renounce  her  bellicose  pro- 
jects, 292 ;  the  title  of  Regent  of 
France  conferred  conditionally  upon 
her  by  Charles  X.,  293  ;  returns  to 
England,  293 ;  sells  her  library  and  a 
portion  of  her  jewels  and  pictures,  293 


note;  her  stay  at  Bath,  293,  294;  re- 
ceives enthusiastic  promises  of  support 
from  all  parts  of  France,  294 ;  sails 
for  Rotterdam  en  route  for  Italy,  295  ; 
arrives  at  Sestri,  295  ;  expelled  from 
the  Sardinian  States  on  the  demand  of 
the  French  Ambassador,  295,  296 ; 
establishes  herself  at  Massa,  296  ;  her 
letter  to  the  Comtesse  de  Meffray, 
296 ;  visits  Florence,  297 ;  expelled 
from  Tuscany,  297 ;  sets  out  to  visit 
her  half-brother,  Ferdinand  II.  of  the 
Two  Sicilies,  at  Naples,  297 ;  her  stay 
in  Rome,  297  ;  her  friendship  with  the 
Count  Ettore  Lucchesi-Palli,  297,  298 ; 
her  visit  to  Naples,  298 ;  again  in 
Rome,  299  ;  her  Court  at  Massa,  299  ; 
her  illusions  in  regard  to  the  situation 
of  affairs  in  France,  299  et  seq. ',  her 
attitude  in  regard  to  the  question  of 
foreign  intervention  on  her  son's  be- 
half, 301,  302  ;  urged  to  take  action 
by  her  adherents  in  France,  302 ; 
sends  orders  to  the  Legitimist  leaders 
to  prepare  to  rise  in  arms,  302  ;  sails 
for  Marseilles  on  board  the  Carlo 
Alberto,  302,  303  ;  arrives  off  Marseilles, 
304  ;  her  perilous  landing,  304  ;  takes 
refuge  in  a  gamekeeper's  hut  amidst 
the  woods,  305  ;  learns  of  the  failure  of 
the  Marseilles  insurrection,  305,  306 ; 
declines  to  accept  defeat,  and  insists  on 
setting  out  for  la  Vendee,  307,  308  ; 
makes  a  night's  journey  on  foot,  308, 
309 ;  makes  a  successful  appeal  to  the 
chivalry  of  a  Republican,  309,  310; 
reaches  the  Chateau  of  Bonrecueil, 
310  ;  arrest  of  her  friends  on  the  Carlo 
Alberto,  310  ;  her / "em me d'atours,  Mile. 
Lebeschu,  mistaken  for  her,  310,  311  ; 
total  ignorance  of  the  Government  as 
to  her  whereabouts,  311,312;  her 
journey  to  la  Vendee,  312,  313 ; 
arrives  at  the  Chateau  of  Plaissac,  near 
Saintes,  314  ;  issues  a  proclamation, 
316;  sends  orders  to  her  adherents  to 
take  up  arms,  316  ;  leaves  Plaissac  for 
the  Chateau  of  Preuille,  316,  317; 
assumes  masculine  attire,  317  ;  sets  off 
on  foot  for  Bellecour,  317 ;  nearly 
drowned,  317;  arrives  at  Bellecour, 
318 ;  declines  to  countermand  her 
orders  for  the  rising,  318  ;  compelled 
to  fly  from  Bellecour,  318  ;  spends  a 
night  in  a  stable,  319;  reaches  the 
Chateau  of  Louvardiere,  319 ;  at  le 
Magasin,  319  ;  receives  further  protests 
from  the  Vendeen  leaders  against  the 
rising,  319,  320;  refuses  to  entertain 
them,  320 ;  visited  by  Berryer,  who 
has  persuaded  the  Marechal  de 
Bourmont    to    issue  a   counter-order, 


INDEX 


387 


320,  321 ;  promises  to  abandon  the 
enterprise,  but  soon  recalls  her  decision, 

321,  322;  attends  a  council  of  war  at 
le  Meslier,  322,  323 ;  issues  a  new 
order  fixing  the  rising  for  the  night  of 
June  3-4,  323  ;  leaves  le  Meslier  and 
makes  her  way  to  la  Mouchetiere, 
325  ;  compelled  to  fly  in  the  middle  of 
the  night,  326 ;  her  anguish  on  learn- 
ing of  the  disasters  which  have  befallen 
her  cause,  326 ;  escorted  by  a  band  of 
Vendeen  gentlemen  to  la  Brosse,  near 
Montbert,  326,  327  ;  refuses  Berryer's 
offer  to  conduct  her  to  Savoy,  327  ; 
total  failure  of  her  insurrection,  327 
et  seq.  ;  obliged  to  hide  for  six  hours 
in  a  ditch,  329 ;  resolves  to  take  refuge 
at  Nantes,  329,  330;  makes  her  way 
thither  disguised  as  a  peasant-woman, 
330,  331 ;  reads  a  proclamation  offer- 
ing a  large  reward  for  information 
which  may  lead  to  her  arrest,  331  ; 
recognised  by  an  officer,  who  refrains 
from  betraying  her,  331  and  note; 
arrives  safely  at  the  Kersabiecs'  house, 
332  ;  leaves  the  Kersabiecs,  and  takes 
refuge  at  the  house  of  the  Miles,  du 
Guigny,  333 ;  description  of  the 
mysterious  hiding-place  in  her  apart- 
ments, 333,  334  ;  precautions  taken  to 
guard  against  her  being  surprised,  334  ; 
declines  to  leave  France,  334 ;  explana- 
tion of  her  determination,  335,  336  ; 
futile  efforts  of  the  Government  to 
ascertain  her  whereabouts,  336  ;  deter- 
mination of  Thiers  to  effect  her  appre- 
hension, 336,  337  ;  her  early  relations 
with  Deutz,  339 ;  her  first  interview 
with  him  at  Nantes,  341,  342  ;  con- 
trary to  the  advice  of  her  friends,  she 
accords  him  a  second  audience,  343  ; 
betrayed  by  him  to  the  agents  of  the 
Government,  344  ;  takes  refuge  in  the 
hiding-place,  344 ;  passes  a  terrible 
night,  345  et  seq.  ;  obliged  to  surrender, 
347 ;  conducted  to  the  Chateau  of 
Nantes,  348  ;  conveyed  to  the  citadel 
of  Blaye,  on  the  Gironde,  349,  350 ; 
consideration  shown  by  the  authorities 
for  her  material  comfort,  351  and  note ; 
extraordinary  precautions  taken  to 
guard  against  any  possibility  of  her 
escape,  351,  352  ;  her  daily  life,  352  ; 
her  indignation  against  the  Govern- 
ment, 353  ;  decision  of  Louis-Philippe 
and  his  Ministers  not  to  bring  her  to 
trial,  353,  354  ;  the  pretended  and  true 
reasons  for  her  continued  detention, 
354>  355  \  first  suspicion  that  she  is 
enceinte,  356 ;  visited  by  Dr.  Gintrac, 
of  Bordeaux,  357  and  note;  refuses  to 
see  the  surgeon  attached  to  the  citadel, 


357;  visited  by  two  Paris  doctors  sent 
by  the  Government,  357  ;  her  imme- 
diate release  demanded  by  the  Opposi- 
tion journals,  357,  358  ;  reports  of  the 
doctors  concerning  her,  358 ;  a  rumour 
that  she  is  enceinte  begins  to  circulate 
in  Paris,  358  ;  her  sad  situation,  359  ; 
subjected  to  the  most  rigorous  surveil- 
lance by  General  Bugeaud,  359,  360 ; 
makes  a  formal  declaration  that  she  is 
secretly  married,  361  ;  her  letter  to  the 
Comte  de  Mesnard,  361  and  note;  her 
declaration,  published  in  the  Moniteur, 
causes  an  immense  sensation,  361,  362  ; 
her  secret  marriage  not  credited,  362 ; 
singular  conversation  between  Louis- 
Philippe  and  Dr.  Meniere  concerning 
her,  363 ;  the  Government  insist  that 
her  accouchement  shall  be  a  public 
one,  364  ;  intolerable  surveillance  to 
which  she  is  subjected,  364,  365  ; 
violent  scene  between  her  and  General 
Bugeaud,  365  ;  precautions  taken  by 
the  latter  to  ensure  the  publicity  of  her 
accouchement,  365,  366  ;  gives  birth 
to  a  daughter,  366  and  note  ;  and 
causes  it  to  be  announced  that  she  is 
the  wife  of  the  Count  Ettore  Lucchesi- 
Palli,  367  ;  her  marriage  to  the  count 
and  the  legitimacy  of  her  child  no 
longer  contestable,  367  et  seq.  ;  reasons 
which  induced  her  to  guard  the  secret 
of  her  morganatic  union,  373,  374  ;  her 
letter  to  Chateaubriand,  374 ;  sad 
results  of  the  scandal  provoked  by  her 
silence,  374 ;  attitude  of  Charles  X. 
towards  her,  375 ;  her  departure  from 
Blaye,  375  ;  sails  for  Palermo,  where 
she  is  received  by  her  husband,  376  ; 
and  disappears  into  private  life,  376 

Marie  de  Lorraine,  Queen  of  Scotland, 
245,  246 

Marie  Leczinska,  Queen  of  France,  50 

Marie  Louise,  Empress,  21,  98,  107,  181, 
281 

Marie  Therese  de  France,  Duchesse  d'An- 
gouleme,  28,  30,  54,  84,  99,  100, 
192,  196,  199,  225,  256  ;  first  meeting 
with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  49  ;  attends 
the  wedding  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  57  et  seq.  ;  takes  charge  of 
the  Due  de  Berry's  natural  son  by 
Virginie  Oreille,  note  93  ;  her  affection 
for  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  109,  110; 
her  conservative  views,  114,  115;  and 
the  assassination  of  the  Due  de  Berry, 
148, 188;  attends  the  baptism  of  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux,  193,  194  ;  and  Madame  du 
Cayla,  208,  209  ;  and  the  death  of  Louis 
XVIIL,  213  et  seq.;  attends  Charles  X.'s 
State  entry  into  Paris,  220  ;  hooted  at 
a  review  in  the  Champ  de  Mars,  241  ; 


388 


A    PRINCESS   OF  ADVENTURE 


joins  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  at  Dieppe, 
249  ;  goes  to  Vichy,  256  ;  the  Royal 
family  at  Ramhouillet,  270,  271  ;  and 
Charles  X.'s  abdication,  278  ;  leaves 
France  for  England,  283;  lands  at 
Cowes,  285  ;  and  the  Times,  287 ;  at 
Lulworth  Castle,  289 

Marmont,  Marechal,  Due  de  Raguse,  94, 
95  ;  receives  the  cordon  bleu,  188  ; 
organises  a  fete  in  honour  of  the  Due 
de  Bordeaux,  196  ;  his  conduct  during 
the  July  Revolution,  271  et  seq.  ;  reads 
Charles  X.'s  act  of  abdication  to  the 
troops,  274 ;  an  object  of  public 
animosity,  280  note,  (cited)  182  note, 
197,271,  281 

Marshall,  Emma  (reputed  daughter  of 
the  Due  de  Berry),  67  et  seq. 

Marsot,  Pere,  68 

Martignac,  Vicomte  de,  242,  251 

Martin,  Henri,  (cited)  299 

Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  245,  291,  293 

Mass^na,  Andre  Marechal,  142 

Masson,  M.  Frederic,  (cited)  97 

Maupas,  Comte  de,  235 

Mazarin,  Cardinal,  55 

Meffray,  Comte  de,  122 

Meffray,  Comtesse  de,  122,  290,  296,  301 

Meniere,  Dr.  Prosper,  365,  366,  375, 
(cited)  350,  363 

Mercy-Argenteau,  Comte  de,  61 

Mesnard,  Baron  de,  (cited)  370  et  seq. 

Mesnard,  Comte  de,  89,  395  ;  equerry  to 
the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  33,  37,41  ;  and 
the  reputed  marriage  of  the  Due  de 
Berry,  79  ;  his  history,  107,  108  ;  his 
character,  108;  narrowly  escapes  a  fatal 
accident,  108  note ;  and  the  Due  de 
Berry's  assassination,  143  et  seq.  ; 
accompanies  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  on 
her  tour  in  the  West  of  France,  237  ; 
attends  the  Marie  Stuart  ball,  246  ; 
scandal  concerning  him  and  the 
Duchesse  de  Berry,  248,  249 ;  and 
the  arrival  of  the  Royal  Family  in 
England,  285,  286  ;  tours  England 
with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  289 ; 
with  the  Duchesse  de  Berry  in  Italy, 
293,  294,  297  et  seq.,  302  ;  sails  with 
her  for  France  on  board  the  Carlo 
Alberto,  302,  303  ;  and  the  insurrection 
of  1832.. 304,  308,  313,  316,325,  326, 
328,  332  ;  captured  with  the  duchess 
at  Nantes,  342-348  ;  imprisoned  with 
her  at  Blaye,  348  et  seq. ;  sent  for 
trial,  359  ;  and  the  Duchesse  de  Berry's 
second  marriage,  361,  362  ;  reputed  to 
be  the  father  of  the  duchess's  child  born 
at  Blaye,  362 

Meyronnet,  Major,  93 

Mezzinghi,  Abbate,  3 

Missiessy,  Admiral  de,  39,  43 


Mode,  the,  293,  294,  357  and  note 

Moliere,  191 

Moncey,  Marechal,  188,  217 

Moniteur,  the,   101,  123,  127,  180,  249, 

257  et  seq.,  357,  358,  361 
Montalivet,  Comte  de,  340 
Montbel,  Comte  de,  293 
Montes,  Abbe,  175 
Montpensier,  Due  de  (Antoine  Philippe 

d'Orleans),  18  and  note 
Montreton,  Marquise  de,  197 
Montsoreau,    Comte  de,   89,   135,    156, 

165 
Montsoreau,  Comtesse  de,  67,  68,  121 
Morel,  Captain,  93 
Mornay,  Comte  de,  245 
Morning  Chronicle,  the,  189 
Mortemart,  Due  de,  264  et  seq. 
Mortier,  Baron,  338 
Mouchy,  Due  de,  49 
Mornington,  Earl  of,  208 
Mornington,  Countess  of,  288 
Murat,   Joachim,    King  of  Naples,   16, 

22,  97 
Murat,  Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples,  97 


N 


Nacquart,  Colonel  de,  317 

Napoleon,  Prince,  85 

Napoleon,  I.,   15,  21,  37,  49,  88,  89,  93, 

94.  HO,  141.  191,  219,  220,  238,  359 
Napoleon,  King  of  Rome  and  Duke  of 

Reichstadt,    21,    88,    134,     181,   219, 

362 
Napoleon  III.,  Emperor  of  the  French, 

118,  166 
Narbonne-Pelet,  Comte  de,  34 
National,  the,  358 
Nauroy,  Charles,  76,  79,  (cited)  68,  74, 

81,  85,  86,   144,   148,   174,  312,  340, 

357.  36 r  note,  365  et  seq. 
Nelson,  Lord,  8,  9,  10 
Nettement,  Alfred,    274,    (cited)   8,    40, 

in,  113,  136,  146,  169,  177,  182,  183, 

189,  301,  305 
Noailles,  Due  de,  86,  277 
Noailles,  Duchesse  de,  246,  277 
Noirlieu,  Abbe  Martin  de,  235 
Northumberland,  Duke  of,  224 
Nuova  Antologia,  the,  1 1 


0 


Odilon-Barrot,  276,  277 

Olivieri,  15 

Oreille,  Virginie  (mistress  of  the  Due  de 

Berry),  87,  91  et  seq.,   117,   118,  143, 

153-  155 


INDEX 


389 


Orfila,  Dr.,  357,  358 

Orleans,  Louisa    Marie  Adelaide,  84  a?id 

note,  139,  147,  216,  220 
Osmond,  Marquis  d',  79 
Oudinot,  Marechal,  Due  de  Reggio.   See 

Reggio 
Ouvrard,  82 


Pagano,  Mario,  4 

Pajol,  General,  275  et  sea. 

Palmieri,  Luigi,  4 

Pasquier,    Chancellor,    80,    161,    (cited) 

208 
Pastoret,  Marquis  de,  300 
Pastoreau,  President,  366  and  7iote 
Patterson,  Elizabeth,  85 
Paulmier,  145,  146 
Perigord,  Cardinal  de,  193,  194,  256 
Perigord,  Comte  Archambaud  de,   130, 

202 
Petit-Pierre,  Ferdinand,  349,  352,  253 
Philip  V.,  King  of  Spain,  1,  2 
Pimentel,  Eleonora  de,  4,  1 1 
Pius  VI.,  Pope,  9 
Pius  VII.,  Pope,  49,  79,  85 
Podenas,  Marquis  de,  299 
Podenas,  Marquise  de,  237,  246,  299 
Poitiers,  Diane  de,  246  and  note 
Polastron,  Comtesse  de,  83,  no  and  note, 

218 
Pole-Carew,  Miss,  246 
Polignac,  Due  Armand  de,  293 
Polignac,  Prince  Charles  de,  148 
Polignac,  Prince  Jules  de,  251,  259,  264, 

266 
Polignac,  Comte  Melchior  de,  271 
Polo,  M.,  349 

Pompadour,  Marquise  de,  96,  87  and  note 
Portal,  Baron,  214 
Portland,  Duke  of,  66 
Poupet,  Henri,  81,  82 
Pourreau,  Francoise,  330 
Preissac  (Prefect  of  the  Gironde),  356, 

367 

Presse,  the,  358  note 

Puyseux,  Comte  Henri  de,  322,  326 


Quelen,   Mgr.  de,  Archbishop  of  Paris, 

338 
Quotid/enne,  the,  163,  357,  374 


R 

Ravez,  217 

Reggio,  Due  de,  33  note,  37,  54,  \\ 


Reggio,  Duchesse  de,  106,  237.  251  ;  ap- 
pointed dame  d'honneur  to  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  33,  36,  38  ;  attends  the  Due 
and  Duchesse  de  Berry's  wedding,  41, 
42,  49,  50,  60;  her  tact,  104,  105  ; 
and  the  Due  de  Berry's  assassination, 
156  ;  and  the  birth  of  the  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  182 

Reiset,  Lieutenant-General  Vicomte  de, 
(cited)  23,  24,  149,  151  note,  155,  156 
note,  170,  179,  182,  269,  279,  280 

Reiset,  Vicomte  de,  29,  79,  85  note, 
(cited)  7,  18,  64,  68,  70,  76,  82, 
84,  86,  87,   118,    130,   192,  248,  368, 

369 
Remusat,  Charles,  (cited)  157 
Remusat,  Madame  de,  120 
Revenant,  the,  357,  358 
Revue  des  Deux  Mondes,  the,  172  note 
Rheims,  Archbishop  of,  in,  223 
Richelieu,  Due  de,   95,    115,   164,    178, 

208,  242 
Rivera,  Comtesse  de,  231 
Riviere,  Due  de,  231,  235,  236 
Roberie,  Celine  de  la,  328 
Roberie,  Hyacinthe  de  la,  319,  325,  326, 

328,  329 
Robert,    Due    de    Chartres,    124,    143, 

183,    212,   245   et  seq.,  249,  250  and 

note 
Robert,  Colonel,  93 
Robespierre,  54 
Roche,  Charles  Ferdinand,  Comte  de  la, 

118  and  note 
Roche,  Charles  Ferdinand,  1 18  and  note 
Roche,   Mile.   Sophie  de  la  (mistress  of 

the  Due  de  Berry),  118 
Rochechouart,  Comte  de,  (cited)  136,  372, 

373,  374 
Roche-Fontenelles,  Comte  de,  299 
Rochefoucauld,    Vicomte    Sosthene    de 

la>    157.    158,    202,    206,    208,    (cited) 

204 
Rochejaquelein,  Comtesse  de  la,  302 
Rochemore,  Marquis  de,  41 
Rocher,  Abbe,  212 
Rocher  (officer),  349 
Rochon,  M.,  61,  62 
Roger,  M.,  280 
Roll,  Louis,  Baron  de,  68,  87 
Rome,  King  of.    See  Napoleon 
Rosambo,  Comte  de,  246,  294,  295,  299, 

362 
Rosambo,  Mme.  de,  106 
Roserie,  Mile.  Deux   de  la  (mistress  of 

the  Due  de  Berry),  118 
Rosny,  Chateau  of,  226  et  seq. 
Rouillet,  146 
Roux-Laborie,  M.,  358 
Rozaven,  Pere,  367. 
Rudolfi,  Count  de,  289 
Ruffo,  Cardinal  Fabrizio,  10,  11,  32 


39° 


A    PRINCESS    OF   ADVENTURE 


Sabatier,  Alexis,  303 
Saint-Andre,  M.  de  la  Roche,  319 
Saint- Amand,  Baron   Imbert  de,    {cited) 

14,  16  note,    26,    43,    102,    145   note, 

169,  176,  190,  197,  206,  236,  290,  294, 

332,  357  note 
Saint-Ange,  Mile,  de,  118 
Saint-Arnaud,  Marechal  de,  375 
Sainte-Aulaire,  Marquis  de,  163 
Saint-Hilaire,  Barthelemy,  [cited)  171  et 

seq. 
Saint-Priest,  Vicomte  de,  299,  302,  303, 

310 
Saint -Priest,  Vicomtesse  de,  302,  (cited) 

302,  303 
Sala,  Adolphe,  303,  310 
Salis,  Comte  de,  265 
Sanfelice,  Luisa  di,  II,  12 
San  Nicandro,  Prince  of,  2,  34,  36,  41 
Sassenay,  Marquis  de,   119 
Scarsdale,  Lord,  289 
Schonen,  Baron,  276,  (cited)  267 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  291,  292 
Semonville,  Marquis  de,  264,  265 
S<frent,  Due  de,  61,  62 
Seze,  Raymond,  Comte  de,  57,  217 
Sichel,  Mr.  Walter,  10 
Simeon,  16 

Soissons,  Bishop  of,  223 
Sorel,  Agnes,  65  and  note,  2IO 
Soubriard,  137 
Souchais,  Bruneau  de  la,  329 
Stanislaus    Leczinski,    King   of  Poland, 

191 
Stern,  Daniel.    See  Comtesse  d'Agoult 
Stuart  of  Rothesay,  Lady,  245 
Suchet,  Marechal,  Due  de  Albufera,  138, 

151,  178,  188 


Talleyrand,  49,  59,  ill  note,  112,  290 

Talon,  Omer,  203 

Tanucci,  Bernardo,  2,  4 

TMe'graphe,  the,  73 

Temps,  the,  77 

Thalin,    Mgr.,    Bishop    of    Strasbourg, 

235.  236 
Thiebault,  Baron,  (cited)  79,  94 
Thiers,  Louis  Adolphe,  becomes  Minister 
of  the  Interior,  336  ;  his  part  in  the 
July  Revolution,  336 ;  determines  to 
make  the  apprehension  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry  his  personal  affair,  337 ; 
receives  an  anonymous  letter,  337  ;  his 


secret  meeting  with  the  informer  Deutz 
in  the  Champs-Elysees,  337  ;  confers 
with  him  at  the  Ministry  of  the 
Interior,  338 ;  his  odious  bargain  with 
him  for  the  betrayal  of  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  340  ;  sends  him  to  Nantes, 
340  ;  his  instructions  to  the  prefect  of 
the  Gironde  concerning  the  Duchesse 
de  Berry,  351  ;  indignation  of  the 
princess  against  him,  353  ;  attempts  to 
justify  her  detention  to  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies,  354 ;  resigns  the  Ministry 
of  the  Interior  and  accepts  that  of 
Commerce  and  Public  Works,  360  and 
?wte ;  his  advice  to  Louis- Philippe 
concerning  the  Duchesse  de  Berry,  362, 

363 
Thirria,  E.,  336,  (cited)  290,  296,   302, 

303>  352,  373 
Times,  the,  287,  288 
Torre,  Mile,  della,  231 
Tour,  Comte  de  la,  34 
Tour,  Comtesse  de  la,  15,  17,  27,  34,  41 
Tourzel,  Abbe,  85  note 
Tourzel,  Mgr.  Louis,  85  note 
Tribune,  the,  358 
Turenne,  Vicomte  de,  65 


U 

Urban  VIII.,  Pope,  85 
Utrecht,  Treaty  of,  1  note 
Uzes,  Due  d',  217 


Valayer,  M.,  58 

Valence,  Vicomte  de,  105 

Vallet,  M.,  349 

Vathaire,  Madame  de,  180,  181 

Vauchon,  Mile.,  231 

Vaudreuil,  Comte  de,  83 

Verac,  Marquis  de,  269 

Victoire  de  France,  Madame,  8  and  note 

Victor   Amadeus   II.,    Duke   of    Savoy, 

King  of  Sardinia,  I 
Victor  Amadeus  III.,   Duke  of  Savoy, 

King  of  Sardinia,  62 
Victor  Emmanuel  I.,  King  of  Sardinia, 

64 
Victor,  Marechal,  188 
Victorine,  Mile,  (mistress  of  the  Due  de 

Berry),  76  note 
Vieil-Castel,  (cited)  164 


INDEX 


39i 


Villari,  Professor,  11 

Villate,  Major,  93 

Villele,  Comte  de,  208,  212,  236,  242 

Villeneuve,  Abbe  de,  58 

Villeneuve,  Bargemont,  Vicomte  de,  308, 

313 

Vitrolles,    Baron  de,    264,    265,    {cited) 
206  note 


W 


Wellington,  Duke  of,  101,  190,  286,  288, 

290 
William  I.,  King  of  Holland,  335,  373 
William  III.,  King  of  England,  287 
I   William  IV.,  King  of  England,  281,  286 


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